Black-faced Grassquit
Melanospiza bicolor
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyThraupidae (Tanagers and Allies)
- GenusMelanospiza (Black Finches)
- SpeciesMelanospiza bicolor (Black-faced Grassquit)
About the Black-faced Grassquit
The black-faced grassquit (Melanospiza bicolor) is a small bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in the West Indies except Cuba Colombia, Venezuela and islands off its coast, and on islands in the western Caribbean Sea.
The first formal description of the black-faced grassquit was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae. He introduced the binomial name Fringilla bicolor. Linnaeus based his description on the "Bahama Sparrow" that was described and illustrated by Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands which was published between 1729 and 1732. By 1970 it had been reassigned to the genus Tiaris. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that this genus was polyphyletic and that the black-faced grassquit was closely related to the Saint Lucia black finch in the (then) monospecific genus Melanospiza. In the resulting reorganization of the genera, between 2016 and 2020 taxonomic systems moved the black-faced grassquit to Melanospiza.
The black-faced grassquit has these eight subspecies: The black-faced... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Black-faced Grassquit in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Orangequit
Euneornis campestris
Greater Antillean Bullfinch
Melopyrrha violacea
Yellow-shouldered Grassquit
Loxipasser anoxanthus
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Tiaris olivaceus
Loggerhead Kingbird
Tyrannus caudifasciatus
White-chinned Thrush
Turdus aurantius
Jamaican Spindalis
Spindalis nigricephala
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Jamaican Oriole
Icterus leucopteryx
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Setophaga caerulescens
Sad Flycatcher
Myiarchus barbirostris
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | |
| 2 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 3 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 4 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Haitises National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 6 | Jaragua National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 7 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Puracé National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-faced Grassquit in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Grassquit sighting in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, based on 281 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-faced Grassquit in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Black-faced Grassquit in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park in our monthly data.