Bananaquit
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| Coereba flaveola (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Bananaquit, Coereba flaveola, is a passerine bird, the only member of the genus Coereba and was originally placed within the family Coerebidae, although it is not placed into a family anymore because of uncertain taxomomy and is assigned Incertae sedis because of the uncertain taxonmomy [1]. 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.
Upperparts are dark grey with a black crown to the head and yellow underparts and rump. The Bananaquit has a prominent white eyestripe. Sexes are alike.
On Grenada and Saint Vincent, most Bananaquits have black plumage, suggesting divergence from other West Indian populations.
Bananaquits build spherical lined nests with a side entrance hole, laying up to three eggs.
[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
- ^ Dunn, John L. and Alderfer, Jonathan, "National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition" ISBN 0-7922-5314-0
