Bananaquit
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| Bananaquit | ||||||||||||||||
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| Coereba flaveola (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Bananaquit, Coereba flaveola, is a passerine bird first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Certhia flaveola.[2]
It was reclassified as the only member of the genus Coereba by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1809.[3]. Prior to 2005 the Bananaquit belonged to the monotypic family Coerebidae; there is currently no agreement to which family it belongs; some authors place it into the Emberizidae[4] The Coerebidae used to contain other nectar-eating birds from the tropical Americas, but these have since been moved. The Bananaquit is part of a group that includes the Darwin's finches, Tiaris (grassquits), Loxigilla, etc. - most of which were previously placed in Emberizidae, but are now known to actually be part of the Thraupidae[5]. Nevertheless, the precise phylogeny remains unresolved. The AOU thus classes it as species incertae sedis[6]. It is resident in tropical South America north to southern Mexico and the Caribbean. It is a rare visitor to Florida, USA.
The Bananaquit is a very small bird attaining an average length of 11 cm. It has a slender, curved bill, adapted to taking nectar from flowers. It sometimes pierces flowers from the side, taking the nectar without pollinating the plant. It cannot hover like a hummingbird, and must always perch while feeding. It will also eat fruit and insects. It often visits gardens and may become very tame. Its nickname, the sugar bird, comes from its affinity for bowls or bird feeders stocked with granular sugar, a common method of attracting these birds in the USVI. Birds in the genera Cœreba, Dacnis, and allied genera belonging to the family Cœrebidæ, are all referred to as sugar birds.
The Bananaquit has dark grey upperparts, a black crown to the head and yellow underparts and rump. It has a prominent white eyestripe. The sexes are alike.
On Grenada and Saint Vincent, most Bananaquits have black plumage, suggesting divergence from other West Indian populations.
The Bananaquit builds a spherical lined nest with a side entrance hole, laying up to three eggs, which are incubated solely by the female[7].
[edit] Gallery
 Bananaquit in its nest, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica |
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[edit] References
- ^ BirdLife International (2004). Coereba flaveola. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
- ^ (Latin) Linnaeus, C (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata.. Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii).. pp. 119. "C. nigra, uropygio pectoreque luteo, superciliis macula alarum rectricümque apicious albis"
- ^ (French) Vieillot, Louis Jean Pierre. Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique septentrionale. Desray, Paris. pp. 70.
- ^ Cf. the Brazilian field guide quoted below, note 7
- ^ Cf. Burns, K. J., S. J. Hackett, and N. K. Klein. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships and morphological diversity in Darwin's finches and their relatives. Evolution 56: 1240-1252
- ^ Dunn, John L. and Alderfer, Jonathan, "National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition" ISBN 0-7922-5314-0
- ^ José Felipe Monteiro Pereira, Aves e Pássaros Comuns do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de janeiro, Technical Books, ISBN 978-85-61368-00-5 , pg.120
[edit] External links
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Wikispecies has information related to: Coereba flaveola |
- Bananaquit videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (with RangeMap)
- Saint Barth Fauna & Flora (French)
- Photo-Medium Res; Article chandra.as.utexas.edu
- Bananaquit photo gallery VIREO
- Bananaquit sounds on xeno-canto.org
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Coereba flaveola |
