Black-Faced Grassquit
Melanospiza bicolor
Also known as: Sparrow, Carib Grassquit, Chee-Chee Bird, Tobacco Bird, Tobacco Seed
About This Species
A small, dark finch-like bird of grassy clearings, roadsides and scrubby edges across the Caribbean and parts of northern South America, it feeds low down on grass seeds and is often seen perched on grass stems or low shrubs. Breeding males are blackish overall, making them relatively easy to pick out against pale grass. It is present year-round, with breeding activity in the wet season increasing song and visibility.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Standard quiet, low-impact viewing at a distance of a few metres is appropriate for this small, common grassland species, avoiding repeated flushing from feeding areas.
- Wildlife protections and their enforcement vary across the many countries and territories in its Caribbean and South American range, so avoid assuming one jurisdiction's rule applies elsewhere.
- Staying on paths or tracks rather than walking through grassland habitat reduces disturbance to feeding and nesting birds.
LCAvesPasseriformesThraupidae
Seasonal Activity
195,967 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
Photo
(c) novvictan, some rights reserved (CC BY)
CC-BY-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.