Yellow-bellied Dacnis

Overview

The yellow-bellied dacnis is a small songbird belonging to the family Thraupidae. It is found throughout the western and central Amazon Basin, with a very large range extending from Venezuela to Brazil.

Identification

• Small bird measuring 11 to 13 cm in length, with a short, slightly decurved, pointed bill.
• Adult males feature a dark mossy green crown, a wide yellow malar stripe on a black face, and yellow underparts with black streaks that fade towards the belly.
• Both sexes possess a black bill, gray legs and feet, and yellowish red to bright red irises.
• Vocalisations include a sharp, high-pitched whuh-zeeé song and short zeet or seep calls.

Habitat

Primarily inhabits evergreen forests, including terra firme, várzea, and igapó, often near lakes and watercourses. It also occurs in savanna woodlands and ecotones between wet and dry landscapes. The species is found at altitudes ranging up to 350 m in Venezuela, 500 m in Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil, and locally up to 1,000 m in Peru.

Diet

Feeds on fruits, insects, and nectar, foraging actively in living foliage from the forest's mid-level to the canopy. It typically forages in pairs or small groups, and only infrequently joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

The first documented nest, described in 2006, was a cup of plant material and spider web hidden within a clump of mistletoe roughly 6.5 m above the ground.