The males of these small Costa Rican songbirds impress with vivid contrasting colors in golden yellows and blue-purple darks.

Whenever a chirping group of Euphonia is tangling from branch to branch at the blooming red Scutellaria it brings merriment to our backyard and a smile to my face.

It was a joy to paint the small but striking bird and to capture these tantalizing colors of the tropical avifauna.