Dominica Botanic Gardens Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

Source: Dominica’s Birds - Male (left) and Female Photo: Kent Nichel - male Photo: Kent Nichel - female

Description: Small bird, about 10 cm long (4 in); short conical black bill; males are olive grey above, paler grey below, with black head and breast; females and immature birds are duller in color with mutted olive-grey upperparts and head, and paler grey underparts turning into white on belly; pink legs; feeds mainly on seeds, especially of grasses and weeds; flies in short-distance patterns; often found in small groups, but is solitary when roosting in evening; is year round resident of island, and in Gardens is frequently seen in the grass in economic crops section; click here to listen its calls, and here to see its video. References: Arlington James, Stephen Durand and Bertrand Jno.Baptiste. Dominica’s Birds. Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Dominica, 2005 C.S. Robbins, B. Bruun, H.S Zim. Birds of North America. Western Publishing Company Inc, New York 1966 P. Sugranyes. Tiaris bicolor: Black-faced Grassquit. Internet Bird Collection, Handbook of Birds of the World, Barcelona, Spain, 2005 (ibc.hbw.com)