Green-chinned Euphonia

Overview

The Euphonia chalybea, known as the green-chinned or green-throated euphonia, is a monotypic species of bird belonging to the family Fringillidae. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, although its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Small passerine approximately 10 cm long with a short, thick, bluish-gray bill that has a blackish tip.
• Sexually dimorphic plumage: adult males are glossy dark greenish blue with a bright yellow forehead patch and blackish lores, while females are olive above and pale gray with olive-yellow underparts.
• Song consists of a short, simple warble with partly inhaled 'tif' notes; calls are described as mid-high, dry, and rapid 'ditditditdit'.
• Both sexes possess dark brown irises and dark gray legs and feet.

Habitat

Restricted to the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. This species inhabits humid forests, favouring edges, clearings with trees, and mature secondary forest. Its elevation range is from sea level to 900 m, though it reaches only 500 m in Brazil.

Diet

Feeds primarily on fruits, with a preference for epiphytes including arboreal cacti, but also consumes spiders and insects. Typically forages high in trees in pairs or small flocks of the same species, while also joining mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

The species was originally described in 1825 as Tanagra chalybea and remained in the tanager family for over a century before being reassigned to the finch family, Fringillidae, through modern taxonomic studies.