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  Profile

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  In flight

Songbirds

Blue Dacnis

Dacnis cayana

• rare
• 32 km/h
• Least Concern

Male is turquoise-blue with a black mask and throat, prying insects from epiphytes in Neotropical canopy.

Population

~50 million mature individuals (2019 estimate, moderate declining trend, described as fairly common)

Habitat

Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, forest edge, woodland, swamps, plantations, gardens/parks, and dry savanna/shrubland from sea level up to about 1,200 m elevation

Fun fact

Male Blue Dacnis are brilliant turquoise with a black mask and throat while females are lime-green with a blue head, and despite the nickname "turquoise honeycreeper" they are not true honeycreepers, which have longer, more decurved bills.

Range

Central and South America: from Nicaragua and Panama south through Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina; resident (non-migratory) across roughly 15.7 million km2

Diet

Mainly insects gleaned from foliage, flowers, and bromeliads, plus fruit (figs, bananas, berries) swallowed whole; nectar is rarely taken

Size

0.127 m

Lifespan

8 years