Fulvous-vented Euphonia

Overview

The fulvous-vented euphonia, Euphonia fulvicrissa, is a small species of bird in the family Fringillidae. It is found in the tropical forests of Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.

Identification

• Small bird measuring 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) in length, with dark gray legs and a dusky blackish bill featuring a blue-gray base.
• Adult males of the nominate subspecies display glossy blue-black upperparts and golden-yellow breasts, contrasting with a small lemon-yellow forehead.
• Adult females exhibit a rufous forehead, bronzy olive-green upperparts, and tawny-rufous centers on the belly.
• Song consists of 1–3 soft, chattery rattles followed by 1–2 short, complex, and squeaky phrases that rise in pitch.

Habitat

This species primarily inhabits the interior, edges, and clearings of tropical evergreen and secondary forests. Its range covers sea level to approximately 900 m in Panama and Colombia, and up to 500 m in Ecuador.

Diet

The fulvous-vented euphonia feeds primarily on small fruits, supplemented by smaller amounts of arthropods. It forages mostly singly, in pairs, or in small groups, and regularly associates with mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

Both sexes participate in building the nest, which is constructed as a ball with a side entrance from plant fibers. One documented nest was found suspended in a thick mass of moss hanging in a tree approximately 12 m (40 ft) above the ground.