Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina

The Blue-black Grassquit, also called the Jacarina, is a tanager native to Central America and the northern two-thirds of South America. It is the only species in its genus but has three subspecies over its range.

The breeding adult male plumage is iridescent dark blue-black all over. The female and juveniles have sparrow-like brown plumage. Breeding males jump up and down while calling to display and are territorial. Both members of the pair will build a small cup nest of roots. (The birds above are immature or eclipse plumage males, despite one collecting small roots for nesting.)