English          -          Violaceous Euphonia

Portuguese   -          Gaturamo-verdadeiro

Latin              -           Euphonia violacea 

The Violaceous euphonia is a small passerine bird in the true finch family. It lives up to its name in beauty and sound, possessing both colourful plumage and a melodious song. The male of the species has a striking glossy violet to bluish black upper-parts and deep golden yellow underparts and forehead, while females and juveniles are duller, mostly olivaceous above and olive yellow below. They are around 11 cm in length and weigh around 14 g.

It is a widely distributed resident across northeastern and eastern South America, from Venezuela and Trinidad south to Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, and southeastern Brazil. They occupy humid forest and forest edges, as well as parks and gardens, cocoa plantations, and citrus fruit orchards. 

Violaceous Euphonia usually forages in pairs or small groups, but also join mixed flocks at fruiting trees. They mainly eat fruit but also eat nectar and insects when seasonally available. In Brazil, they are known to seeks out small terrestrial snails.

Breeding season for  the Violaceous Euphonia depend on it’s location. The nest is spherical, and is composed of a mass of dead leaves and rootlets. The same nest is sometimes used for other brood. The eggs are white to pinkish white marked with reddish spots, mostly at the larger end. The clutch is three to five eggs. Only the female incubates the eggs for 10-12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents which begin to fledge at three weeks.

The Violaceous Euphonia is evaluated as “of Least Concern”, at the moment based upon its wide range and current estimated population size. In some parts of it’s range though it is a prized cage bird, making it vulnerable to trapping. There is also a threat to its natural habitat due to deforestation but for this species, the affects are not as dramatic as it can tolerate secondary forests.

Photo # 1 is of a male calling, taken at Morro do Moreno (Moreno Hill) - Vila Velha Espirito Santo.

Photo # 2 is of a female - taken at Morro do Moreno (Moreno Hill) - Vila Velha Espirito Santo.