Thebananaquit (Coereba flaveola) is a species ofpasserinebird in the tanager familyThraupidae. Before the development of molecular genetics in the 21st century, its relationship to other species was uncertain and it was either placed with the buntings andNew World sparrows in the familyEmberizidae, with New World warblers in the familyParulidae or its ownmonotypic family Coerebidae. This small, activenectarivore is found in warmer parts of theAmericas and is generally common.
Its name is derived from its yellow color and the English wordquit, which refers to smallpasserines of tropical America; cf.grassquit,orangequit.[2]
The bananaquit wasformally described byCarl Linnaeus in his landmark 175810th edition ofSystema Naturae asCerthia flaveola.[3] Linnaeus based his description on the "black and yellow bird" described byJohn Ray andHans Sloane,[4][5] and the "Black and Yellow Creeper" described and illustrated byGeorge Edwards in 1751.[6] The bananaquit was reclassified as the only member of thegenusCoereba byLouis Pierre Vieillot in 1809.[7] The genus name is of uncertain origin but may be from aTupi nameGüirá for a small black and yellow bird. The specific epithetflaveolus is a diminutive of theLatinflavus meaning "golden" or "yellow".[8]
Before the development of techniques to sequence DNA, the relationship of the bananaquit to other species was uncertain. It was variously placed with the New World warblers in the familyParulidae,[9] with the buntings andNew World sparrows in the familyEmberizidae,[10] or in its ownmonotypic family Coerebidae.[11] Based on the results ofmolecular phylogenetic studies, the bananaquit is now placed in the tanager familyThraupidae and belongs withDarwin's finches to the subfamily Coerebinae.[12][13][14]
Juvenile bananaquits are duller than adults and may have yellow eyebrows and throat
The bananaquit is a small bird, although there is some degree of size variation across the various subspecies. Length can range from 10 to 13 cm (3.9 to 5.1 in).[18][19] Weight ranges from 5.5 to 19 g (0.19 to 0.67 oz).[20][21]
Most subspecies of the bananaquit have dark grey (almost black) upperparts, black crowns and sides of the head, a prominent white eyestripe, grey throat, white vent, and yellow chest, belly, and rump.Coloration is heavily influenced bymelanocortin 1 receptor variation.[22]
The sexes are alike, but juveniles are duller and often have partially yellow eyebrows and throat.
In the subspeciesbahamensis andcaboti from the Bahamas andCozumel, respectively, the throat and upper chest are white or very pale grey,[23][24] whileferryi fromLa Tortuga Island has a white forehead.[25] The subspecieslaurae,lowii, andmelanornis from small islands off the coast of northernVenezuela are overall blackish,[25] while the subspeciesaterrima andatrata fromGrenada andSaint Vincent have two plumagemorphs, one "normal" and another blackish.[23] The pinkgape is usually very prominent in the subspecies from islands in theCaribbean Sea.
The tongue is paddle-shaped, with an extremely long paddle section.[26]
It is resident in tropical South America north to southern Mexico and theCaribbean. It is found throughout the West Indies, except forCuba.[23] Birds from the Bahamas are rare visitors toFlorida.[27]
It occurs in a wide range of open to semi-open habitats, including gardens and parks, but it is rare or absent in deserts, dense forests (e.g. large parts of theAmazon rainforest), and at altitudes above 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[25]
Bananaquit nests are known to be used by frog species, such as theCommon coquí.[28]
The bananaquit has a slender, curved bill, adapted to takingnectar fromflowers, includingmistletoes.[29]Nectivory is probably an independent innovation inCoereba.[26] Since thenC. flaveola's tongue shape has shownconvergent evolution with other birds feeding on the same flowers, and its source flowers have shown convergence to accommodate its tongue.[26] It sometimes pierces flowers from the side, taking the nectar withoutpollinating the plant - known asnectar robbing.[27][30] It also feeds on fruits - including mistletoe fruits, otherberries, and ripebananas (hence the common name andbananivora for the Hispaniolan subspecies).[29][31][32][33] It has been observed taking fruits' sweet juices by puncturing fruit with its beak and it will also eat small insects (such asants andflies), their larvae, and other small arthropods (such asspiders) on occasion.[34] While feeding, the bananaquit must always perch, as it cannot hover like ahummingbird.[31]
The bananaquit is known for its ability to adjust remarkably to human environments. 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.[31] The bananaquit builds a spherical lined nest with a side entrance hole, laying up to three eggs, which are incubated solely by the female.[35] It may also build its nest in human-made objects, such as lampshades and gardentrellises. The birds breed all year regardless of season and build new nests throughout the year.[31]
Monteiro Pereira, José Felipe (2008).Aves e Pássaros Comuns do Rio de Janeiro [Common Birds of Rio de Janeiro] (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Technical Books.ISBN978-85-61368-00-5.
De Boer, Bart A. (1993).Our Birds. Willemstad: Stichting Dierenbescherming Curaçao.ISBN978-99904-0-077-9.
Raffaele, Herbert; Wiley, James; Garrido, Orlando; Keith, Allan; Raffaele, Janis (1998).A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton: Princeton University Press.ISBN978-0-691-08736-8.
Restall, R. L.; Rodner, C.; Lentino, M. (2006).Birds of Northern South America – An Identification Guide. London: Christopher Helm.ISBN0-7136-7242-0.
Seutin, G; Klein, N. K.; Ricklefs, R. E.; Bermingham, E. (1994). "Historical biogeography of the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) in the Caribbean region: a mitochondrial DNA assessment".Evolution.48 (4):1041–1061.doi:10.2307/2410365.JSTOR2410365.PMID28564451.
Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1809).Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique septentrionale [Natural History of the Birds of Northern America] (in French). Paris: Desray.
Skutch, Alexander F. (1962).Life Histories of Central American Birds(PDF). Pacific Coast Avifauna, Number 31. Berkeley, California: Cooper Ornithological Society. pp. 404–420.
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