Jamaican Spindalis
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The Jamaican spindalis (''Spindalis nigricephala'') is one of four species of
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
in family Spindalidae. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
.


Taxonomy and systematics

Historically, the genus ''Spindalis'' consisted of a single polytypic species, ''Spindalis zena'' (with the common name of stripe-headed tanager), with eight recognized subspecies. The genus was in the "true" tanager family
Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family (biology), family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12 ...
. Beginning in 1997, based primarily on morphological and vocalization differences, three of the subspecies were elevated to species status of which the Jamaican spindalis is one, and ''S. zena'' was renamed
western spindalis The western spindalis (''Spindalis zena'') is a songbird species. It was formerly considered conspecific with the other three species of ''Spindalis'', with the common name stripe-headed tanager. Taxonomy The western spindalis was Species descr ...
. Beginning in 2017, taxonomic systems moved the four spindalis species to the newly created family Spindalidae, which is not closely related to the tanagers. The Jamaican spindalis is
monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...
.


Description

The Jamaican spindalis is about long and weighs . Adult males have a black head with a wide white
supercilium The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10 Also k ...
and "moustache". It has a white chin and upper throat. Its back is yellowish olive, its rump tawny yellow, and its uppertail coverts black. Its tail is black with wide white edges to the feathers. Its wings are black with white edges on most feathers. Its chest is bright yellowish orange becoming yellow on the breast. Its belly and undertail coverts are white. Adult females have grayish olive head, throat, and upperparts. Its chest is pale orange-yellow, the belly pale yellow, and the undertail coverts whitish. Juveniles resemble adult females but are duller.Hilty, S. (2020). Jamaican Spindalis (''Spindalis nigricephala''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.jamspi.01 retrieved October 10, 2022


Distribution and habitat

The Jamaican spindalis is found throughout Jamaica though it is more numerous in the uplands and local on the north and southwest coasts. It inhabits forest, woodlands, and brushy areas where there are fruiting trees and shrubs.


Behavior


Movement

The Jamaican spindalis is a year-round resident throughout its range but makes local movements depending on the availability of fruit.


Feeding

The Jamaican spindalis' principle diet is fruits and berries of a wide variety of trees and shrubs, both native and introduced. It also eats small amounts of leaves and blossoms. It feeds mostly in pairs or family groups but may gather in groups of about 10 at a heavily fruited tree. It feeds acrobatically, hanging from twigs to eat berries.


Breeding

The Jamaican spindalis' breeding season spans from April to July. It makes a loose cup nest from grass and rootlets and lays a clutch of two or three eggs. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.


Vocalization

As of late 2022 xeno-canto had only one recording of a Jamaican spindalis vocalization and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library only two. The species is generally quiet. It does have a whisper song "chu wheet, chee see whee see, chu wheet", and when foraging in groups makes "a high, fast 'chi-chi-chi-chi-chi'."


Status

The
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
has assessed the Jamaican spindalis as being of Least Concern. Although it has a small range and an unknown population size, the latter is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is widespread and common. "Utilization of a variety of habitats, including second growth and brushy areas, safeguards this species against near-term threats".


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2226351 Jamaican spindalis Endemic birds of Jamaica Jamaican spindalis Taxonomy articles created by Polbot