Elegantissima means very elegant, which is exactly what this bird is!
Described as handsome by some, as pretty by others, perhaps the best description of all resides in one of this gorgeous bird’s names, that of Elegant!
Meet the Elegant or Blue-hooded Euphonia
Photo Courtesy of Francesco Veronesi / CC BY-SA 2.0
The elegant or blue-hooded euphonia (Euphonia elegantissima), is a species of bird in the Fringillidae family. Elegantissima means very elegant, which is exactly what this bird is. Smaller than the common House Sparrow, the male Blue-hooded Euphonia has a glowing blue hood, black face, and throat with a somewhat rufous forehead.
Photo Courtesy of elrayman210 / CC BY 2.0
He also has an orange belly with glossy blue-black upperparts.
Compared to the male, the female is relatively drab in color, though she still sports the yellow cap that her male counterpart has.
Photo Courtesy of Dominic Sherony / CC BY-SA 2.0
These birds are found throughout many parts of Central America in Costa Rica, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
In its range, these birds prefer to live in subtropical, and or moist montane forests, as well as degrade formerly forested areas.
The blue-hooded Euphonia’s diet consists mainly of fruit and berries, with Mistletoe berries forming about 80% of their diet.
There is not a lot of data on the breeding season of this species. However, it is thought, like many Euphonia species, that a nest is built by both males and females out of leaves, rootlets, moss, and lichen. It is often constructed in a slight recess, in banks or areas with clumps of short vegetation.
Due to its large range, Blue-hooded Euphonia is thought to be stable, not approaching the thresholds for population decline criteria on the IUCN Red List.
Watch and listen to this bird right here below: