Bananaquit

ANIMAL:
Bananaquit Coereba flaveola

Type of Animal:
Songbird

Habitat:
Overgrown fields, open fields, areas of cover, forest/forest edge, desert, found from sea level to 4,000 ft, covered savanna, covered grassland, scrub forest, scrubland, humid woodland edge, plantations, secondary growth, cropland, parks, cities, gardens, orchards, hedges, clearings, shrubby areas, semiopen areas, scrubby woodland, mangroves, farms, forest streams

Location(s):
Ranges from S Mexico to extreme NE Uruguay/Argentina. Also found in Caribbean & far S Florida.

Appearance:
Dark gray to almost black upper body, black crown/head sides, white eyestripe/eyebrow, gray throat (some subspecies have very pale gray or even whitish throats), white vent, yellow chest/belly/rump (though some subspecies have pale gray or whitish upper chest), down-curved bill, juveniles duller than adults w/ partially yellow eyebrow/throat

Food/Diet:
Nectar, fruit juices, sugar water, fruit, insects, insect larvae, spiders

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & aviculture

Lifestyle:
Solitary or flocks of 2-12 birds

Additional Info:

Called:
Male: Cock
Female: Hen
Young: Chick
Group: Flock/Bunch

Weight:
Male: 0.35 oz
Female: 0.32 oz
 
Gestation:
2 weeks 

Life Span:
7 years

Height:
Male: 4.13 in
Female: 3.74 in

Body Length:
Male: 4.13 in
Female: 3.74 in

Tail Length:
0.4 in, same for both sexes

Main predators are snakes, birds, mammals, crocodilians, & ants.
 
Build globular nests of grasses/leaves/plant fibers from 5-30 ft above ground, entrance faces downward in lower part of nest-several nests often built w/ only a few used as sleeping quarters.
 
Sometimes compete w/ hummingbirds due to affinity for nectar.
 
Can breed all year round.
 
Females usually lay 2-3 dull white w/ brown spotted eggs per clutch. Females produce up to 3 broods a year.
 
Chicks leave nest at 3 weeks old.
 
Slender curved bill comes in handy for acquiring nectar.
 
Nectar often taken without pollinating plant since it will pierce nectar sources from side.
 
Tongue lined w/ bristly projections to facilitate nectar collection.
 
Often nest near wasp nests for protection from predators.
 
Very active & energetic.
 
Song high-pitched series of thin rapid unmusical notes. Call short high-pitched tsip/seet.
 
Animal prey typically gleaned from vegetation.
 
Active during the day (diurnal).

Fun Fact(s):
There are 41 recognized subspecies of this bird.
 
Often called sugarbirds due to affinity for sugar water. Often seen taking sugar water/nectar from feeders near areas of human presence.
 
Can’t hover like hummingbirds & must always perch when feeding.