Spindalis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spindalis

Male Puerto Rican Spindalis,
Spindalis portoricensis

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	see text
Genus:	Spindalis Jardine and Selby, 1837

Species

Spindalis dominicensis
Spindalis nigricephala
Spindalis portoricensis
Spindalis zena

Spindalis is a genus comprised of 4 non-migratory bird species. The genus is considered endemic to the Greater Antilles; a population on Cozumel Island, off the Yucatan Peninsula's east coast, is part of that island's West Indian fauna. Traditionally considered aberrant tanagers (Thraupidae), their true affiliation remains unresolved. They are not part of the Thraupidae however.

Spindalis males are characterized by bright plumage while females are duller and have a different coloration.

The nests of Spindalis are cup-shaped.^[1]

Western Spindalis, Spindalis zena
Puerto Rican Spindalis, Spindalis portoricensis
Hispaniolan Spindalis, Spindalis dominicensis
Jamaican Spindalis, Spindalis nigricephala

Historically, the genus consisted of a single polytypic species, Spindalis zena, with eight recognized subspecies—S. z. townsendi and S. z. zena from the Bahamas,S. z. pretrei from Cuba, S. z. salvini from Grand Cayman, S. z. dominicensis from Hispaniola and Gonave Island, S. z. portoricensis from Puerto Rico, S. z. nigreciphala from Jamaica, and S. z. benedicti from Cozumel Island. In 1997, based primarily on morphological and vocalization differences, three of the subspecies (portoricensis, dominicensis and nigricephala) were elevated to species status. S. zena remained a polytypic species with five recognized subspecies—S. z. pretrei, S. z. salvini, S. z. benedicti, S. z. townsendi, and S. z. zena.^[2]

[edit] References

O. H. Garrildo, K. C. Parkes, G. B. Reynard, A. Kirkcornell, and R. Sutton (December 1997). "Taxonomy of the Stripe-Headed Tanager, genus Spindalis (Aves:Thraupidae) of the West Indies" (djvu). The Wilson Bulletin 109 (4): 561–594.