Bird Guide

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Tiaris olivaceus

Least ConcernSeedsUrbanDomed nestTiny · 9 g

About the Yellow-faced Grassquit

The yellow-faced grassquit is a passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and is the only member of the genus Tiaris. It is native to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

It is a small bird with a conical bill, sharper than that of the related seedeaters. It is 10–10.7 cm (3.9–4.2 in) long and weighs about 8–10 g (0.28–0.35 oz), depending on subspecies. The adult male has an olive-green back, and its face and breast are black apart from a bright yellow throat, supercilia, and lower eyelid spot. The rest of the underparts are greyish olive. The beak and eyes are dark, while the legs are grey. The adult female is slightly smaller on average than the male. It is dull olive-green above and paler grey below, and may have some dark breast smudges. Voice: The yellow-faced grassquit has a weak buzzing trilled ttttt-tee call. The song is a varying series of high thin rapid trills. Given for a prolonged time, it is melodious, yet subdued, and often only heard from a short distance away.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What the Yellow-faced Grassquit sounds like

Recording: JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where the Yellow-faced Grassquit lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in United States.

When to see the Yellow-faced Grassquit

Peak activity in March · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Side by side: Blue-black Grassquit vs Yellow-faced Grassquit · Scarlet-rumped Tanager vs Yellow-faced Grassquit · Variable Seedeater vs Yellow-faced Grassquit

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