The Yellow-shouldered Grassquit is found only in Jamaica, including forest edges and montane evergreen forest. It eats seeds and small fruits, foraging low in shrubs in pairs or family groups.
The female has an olive head and breast, with a bright yellow patch at the bend of the wing. The underparts are mostly grey with a pale olive wash.
It feeds mainly on seeds and small fruits, usually foraging in pairs or family groups at forest edges, gardens, and low shrubs or trees.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.