Blue-black Grassquit

10-11 cm. Bill black, more slender than the bill of a Sporophila. <NThe male is glossy blue-black, the axillary feathers white. <NThe female is dark brown above, lighter brown below, streaked blackish. <NThe immature male looks like a female with a blackish back.<NSubadult males are mottled brown on a blue-blackish background. Call "tsik". Song a repeated "ti ziu" frequently accompanied by a brief upwards-flight or jump after which the bird returns to the same perch. Forages in family groups or pairs in grass, bushes or on the ground. Common in open country, farmland, gardens and towns. Has probably much increased due to deforestation. Throughout. Up to 1000 meters 11470 Song, December 27, 2005, Cunha, Estado S<C4>o Paulo, open suburbs, sunny, 26<91>C. Turn the volume down to listen to this vocalization.: 1241 > Male: 11781 > Female: 5462 > Subadult male: