Thick-billed Euphonia

Dickschnabel organist ( Euphonia laniirostris )

Description

The Thick-billed organist reaches a length of 12.5 cm. In the males, the cheeks, the neck and the wings are steel blue. The back of the head and neck have a slight purple tinge. The forehead, chest and underside are colored yellow. The eyes and beak are black. The female is olive green at the top, at the bottom vigorously olive-yellow colored with an olive Tünchung at the breast. From other species of the genus Euphonia they differ by the powerful beak, giving them with the locals in Panama called " pico - gordo " ( Thick-billed ) has introduced.

Occurrence

There are five subspecies (E. l crassirostris, EI hypoxantha, EI laniirostris, E. L. melanura, EI zopholega ), which, in the Neotropics from Costa Rica, Panama, northern Venezuela Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia are common to Brazil. The Thick-billed organist inhabited bushland stock of trees and terrain from plains to heights of 1500 m.

Way of life

It feeds primarily on fruits, such as guavas, bananas and mistletoe berries. During the breeding season a covered nest is built with a side entrance on the ground. There are of three to five eggs. The young hatch after an incubation period of 14 days. Both parents take care of the rearing of the young, which fledge after about 16 days. There are two to three years broods in the period from March to August.