Trinidad Euphonia
A species of Euphonias Scientific name : Euphonia trinitatis Genus : Euphonias
Trinidad Euphonia, A species of Euphonias
Botanical name: Euphonia trinitatis
Genus: Euphonias
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Nikolaj Mølgaard Thomsen
Description
The Trinidad euphonia is a small, stout, short-tailed passerine, measuring 9.7–11 cm (3.8–4.3 in) in length and weighing 8.8–14 g (0.31–0.49 oz). It is sexually dimorphic in plumage. The male is glossy blue-black on the head, back, chin, and throat, with a bright yellow forehead and crown, and bright yellow underparts. The basal half of his rectrices are white, as are his underwing coverts. This makes a white stripe on his underwing when he flies. He also has white on the inner webs of the outer two to three tail feathers; this appears as two large white ovals on the undertail. The yellow on his crown extends well behind his eyes. The female is olive-green above and yellow-olive below, with a grayer patch running down the center of her breast and abdomen, and bright yellow undertail coverts. Both sexes have dark brown irises, and gray legs and feet. The bill is black with a white base to the lower mandible.
Size
10 cm
Nest Placement
Tree
Feeding Habits
Trinidad Euphonia primarily consumes small berries, particularly mistletoe, and supplements its diet with insects, invertebrates, and seeds. Unique for its non-muscular stomach, trinidad Euphonia forages actively from mid-canopy to forest edges, alone or in groups, adapting to a specialized frugivorous diet.
Habitat
The habitat of trinidad Euphonia is diverse, including dry to moist forests, gallery forests, and light woodlands. Trinidad Euphonia is also found in forest borders, scrubby or wasteland areas, pastures, and cultivated fields with scattered trees. Residential areas with tree lines are also part of trinidad Euphonia's habitat preferences. The bird favors environments up to the lower montane level, broadly encompassing tropical regions.
Dite type
Frugivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Fruit
Behavior
The Trinidad euphonia spends much of its time in the treetops. It is typically found in pairs or groups of up to eight. Although it seldom joins mixed-species flocks, it readily joins mobs that are harassing snakes, owls, or predators. It is known to wander widely.
Distribution Area
The Trinidad euphonia is found in northern Colombia, northern Venezuela, and Trinidad. A single Tobago record is regarded as a probable escaped cage bird. On Trinidad, it is found primarily in second growth and hill forest near mistletoe and in cultivated areas with large trees, though on the west coast it is also found in mangroves. On the mainland, it occurs in the tropical zone at elevations up to 1,100 m (3,600 ft), and is especially common in arid regions. Habitats include dry forest, the edges of moist forest, light woodland, scrub, and cultivated areas. In moister forest, it is replaced by the purple-throated euphonia. There have been several exceptionally high sight-only (i.e. undocumented) records in Venezuela: one at 1,200 m (3,900 ft) and another at 1,450 m (4,760 ft).
Species Status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates the Trinidad euphonia as being a species of least concern, due to its very large range and apparently stable population. Although its numbers have not been quantified, it is considered to be common across much of its range. However, it is rare and local on Trinidad, where trapping for the caged bird trade has greatly reduced its numbers. Captured birds seldom live long, as most owners do not have sufficient knowledge of the birds' dietary and hygiene needs to keep them successfully.
Photo By Nikolaj Mølgaard Thomsen
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Finches Genus
Euphonias Species
Trinidad Euphonia