The blue-black grassquit (Volatinia jacarina) name refers to the male's striking plumage, which appears blue in sunlight but black in the shade. The grassquit part comes from its diet of grass seeds and its small passerine bird size. In the breeding season, the male leaps into the air, reveals hidden white wing patches, and sings a short, buzzy song. Due to this, it is also known as the Johnny Jump-up. Volatinia is derived from the Spanish word for acrobatic, while jacarina comes from a Braizilian Tupí name meaning “she who flies up and down".These small birds inhabit open, weedy fields across the Americas, from Mexico to Argentina, where they mainly feed on grass seeds. During the nonbreeding season, they often form large flocks, but the males are highly territorial and conspicuous during breeding season.
