Family Tanagers (Thraupidae)

Least Concern

Black-faced Dacnis (Dacnis lineata)

Taxonomy

French: Dacnis à coiffe bleue German: Maskenpitpit Spanish: Dacnis carinegro

Taxonomy:

Motacilla lineata

J. F. Gmelin

, 1789,

French Guiana

See D. egregia. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution

D. l. lineata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) – E base of Venezuelan Andes (extreme SE tip of Táchira), E Colombia (Norte de Santander S along base of Andes to W Meta, then generally from C Meta and Guainía) S to E Ecuador, E Peru and N Bolivia (S to Beni and Cochabamba), E to S & SE Venezuela S of R Orinoco (S & C Amazonas; Bolívar except NE), the Guianas and most of Amazonian Brazil (E to E Pará and EC Mato Grosso).

D. l. albirostris Grantsau, 2010 – known only from type locality, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, Brazil, but range extrapolated as W of upper R Negro.

Descriptive notes

11 cm; 9·5–13 g. Bill thin and sharply pointed. Male has crown turquoise-blue, broad, sharply defined black mask extending from forehead and lores through eye and straight... read more

Voice

Call, in Ecuador, a thin, high “tzlip”; in Peru, call described as modulated, high “trree”,... read more

Habitat

Canopy of tall, humid terra firme and várzea forest, at forest borders, scattered... read more

Food and feeding

Fruits and insects. Observed to eat small berries of melastomes, and to take bits of Cecropia catkin. Of 19 stomachs examined, 17... read more

Breeding

No information.

Movements

Apparently resident.

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened. Fairly common to common. Occurs in many protected areas across vast Amazonian range, among them Nukak Natural Reserve and Cahuinarí, La Paya,... read more

Bibliography

Public comments

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Thraupidae

— Show family text —

In past, included in a much broader Emberizidae. Probably sister to Cardinalidae, with these two perhaps sister to Mitrospingidae#R #R #R #R. Family limits and internal structure extensively revised in recent years on basis of numerous genetic studies#R #R #R #R #R #R. These have led to subdivision into 15 subfamilies, as well as numerous other notable changes (as compared to HBW) including: relocation herein of Parkerthraustes and Saltator from Cardinalidae, and of Charitospiza, Coryphaspiza, Embernagra, Emberizoides, Incaspiza, Porphyrospiza, Tiaris, Euneornis, Loxipasser, Loxigilla, Melanospiza, Certhidea, Platyspiza, Pinaroloxias, Geospiza, Volatinia, Coryphospingus, Rhodospingus, Sporophila, Piezorina, Xenospingus, Poospiza, Donacospiza, Sicalis, Phrygilus, Nesospiza, Rowettia, Melanodera, Haplospiza, Acanthidops, Idiopsar, Catamenia, Lophospingus, Diuca, Gubernatrix and Paroaria from Emberizidae (=Passerellidae); and also removal of Chlorophonia and Euphonia to Fringillidae, of Rhodinocichla to Rhodinocichlidae, of Chlorospingus to Passerellidae, of Phaenicophilus to Phaenicophilidae, of Spindalis to Spindalidae, of Nesospingus to Nesospingidae, of Calyptophilus to Calyptophilidae, of Lamprospiza, Mitrospingus and Orthogonys to Mitrospingidae, and of Habia, Chlorothraupis and Piranga to Cardinalidae. Generic limits within family also extensively revised, and associated sequence of species followed herein#R.