Description: The Violaceous is a small euphonia with a short, pointed bill. The male has a yellow patch from the bill to the top of the head. The chin, breast and bottom are also yellow. The back and wings are blue-black. The underside of the tail is white. The female is a drab color with her back and wings being a greenish-yellow and her chin, breast and bottom are a dull yellow.
Size: Adults are approximately 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) in length and weigh about 0.5 ounce (14 gr).
Behavior: They are gregarious birds and prefer small flocks with other tanager species. They forage among the tree tops.
Diet: They are frugivores, usually eating small, soft berries, fleshy fruits and nectar, making them important seed dispersers in their habitats. They will also eat insects.
Communication: Their constant songs are quite varied and include melodious notes, chatter, squeaks, chirps and imitation of the sounds made by other species.
Reproduction: They use leaves, moss or plant fibers to build a ball-shaped nest with a side entrance. The female incubates three or four eggs for 12-14 days. Both sexes share the feeding of the young; fledgling occurs 22-24 days after hatching.
Habitat/range: They live in forest borders, woodlands, clearings and gardens in non-arid
locations. They are found from Venezuela and Guiana south through Amazonia in Brazil to Paraguay.
Status: Listed as Least Concern on IUCN Red List.
