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Posted by Rafael A Galvez on 22:21:18 08/07/12
While doing a quick stroll through the trail west of Old Cutler around 3:30pm, I first heard, then saw a male Cuban Grassquit near the trail's end, by the stand of Royal Palms and Ficus.
I did not know a Cuban Grassquit had been reported from the same general location on 6/24/12 until afterward.
I was able to get great looks at the bird, record its attractive song, and get video of it. Joe Barros was nearby, and he joined me.
As has been discussed before in this board, the species is popular with aviculturalists around the world and has been found for sale at South Florida pet shops. It is likely this bird is an escapee.
The bird at Matheson had impeccable plumage, showing no signs of cage wear or distress. Quite the opposite, it seemed alive and well, singing, calling and in loose association with nearby gnatcatchers, cardinals, Red-eyed Vireos, Common Yellowthroat and other warblers - all feeding on Ficus berries.
It is likely this is the same bird reported on June 24. The report from that date does not include any information about the bird's condition or appearance, although the bird was also singing then.
It is interesting to think that this "escaped" bird might have survived 7 weeks in the wild - or longer.
According to some sources, there is currently a boom in Cuban Grassquit breeding and trade - while the bird is declining in its native Cuba.
This is not the first time I see a Cuban Grassquit in the field somewhere in South Florida, as I know is the case with other birders. There is value in documenting such encounters with exotics for we never know if they will become established and part of our local avifauna. The Cuban Grassquit has apparently done well as an established species in Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
Keep your eyes peeled for this one. It is a very attractive bird with a very nice song. Please report if you see more of it.
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