Volatinia jacarina
blue-black grassquit

Volatinia jacarina occur from Mexico and Central America southward through Brazil to Chile and Argentina. They are abundant resident of fields, grassland and clearings everywhere between elevations of about 5000 to 8000 feet from sea level. (De Schauensee, 1966; Dickey and Rossem, 1938; Dunning and Ridgely, 1987)

Volatinia jacarina inhabit forest edges, woodland, wet grassland, and cultivated area. They are also found around tangles of weeds and vines, cropped pastures, sugar cane, lava flows, tule marshes, mimosa thickets, pine woods, and even in the cloud forest. The greatest concentrations occur in open country grown extensively with bunch grass and mimosa brush. (Davis, 1972; Ministry of Natural Resources' Land Information Centre, 01.19.1998)

Volatinia jacarina are on average 10 cm in length (wing = 53 mm, tail = 44 mm, and bill = 10 mm). The male are distinguished from the brownish females and juveniles by their glossy black plumage and white underwings. The male has a concealed white spot at the juncture of the wing and body that can be seen in display flights. Females have greyish brown upperparts and pale beige below. Their throat and breast are steaked greyish brown. The iris is dark brown. The upper mandible is black, while the lower mandible is bluish grey. Feet are grey (Davis 1972; Dubs 1999).

A juvenile male has a complete postjuvenal molt in the very late fall or early winter which results in a plumage very similar to the adult female, except that the wings and tail are dull black with olive or brownish edgings. In the following early summer, there is a prenuptial body molt which produces a glossy, blue-black plumage like the adult summer male. The body molt occurs during May and June. The female also have two body molts a year, molting in the early summer to a plumage decidedly less brownish than the winter dress. As in the male, the complete molt starts as early as the last week in April (Davis 1972). (Davis, 1972; Dubs, 1992)

Volatinia jacarina is usually found in groups all year around (Dickey and Rossem 1938).

This species are said to be nonmigratory. However they are observed seasonally in the Pocone region of Brazil from January to May (Dubs 1992).

The concealed white shoulder patches of the males play a prominent part in the courtship display, which begins as soon as the immense flocks of the winter and spring commence break up into pairs in early May. At the conclusion of the short, high-pitched, insect-like buzz which constitutes the song, the males pop up in an explosive leap which carries them two feet or more straight into the air. As they descend head first, the snowy shoulder patches are thrown out and are very conspicuous, even from a distance. This performance is repeated every few seconds (Davis 1972). (Davis, 1972; Dickey and Rossem, 1938; Dubs, 1992)

They are basically small seed-eaters, but they also often feed on small insects. The type of seeds eaten depend on what plant species are available. (Dubs, 1992)

Volatinia jacarina are small seed eaters, so they are usually found near cultivated areas. They can cause crop losses for farmers. (Dickey and Rossem, 1938)

Volatinia jacarina are enjoyed by birdwatchers. They are relatively easy to be seen so they are tourist attractions in many Central and South American countries.

This species are also prefered as a backyard bird with other finches. They are sometimes raised in large aviaries (Garrigues 1999). (Garrigues and Feb, 1999)

Volatinia jacarina have no special conservation status as they are a common and widespread species.

It has been thought by Davis Steadman that the ancestral finch of the Galapagos might be V. jacarina. Some 100,000 years ago, grassquits probably made their way across the 600 miles of Pacific to Galapagos. The small birds happened upon a landscape relatively free of competitors, since the isolated location of the Galapagos meant that new species came there infrequently.