U.S. Virgin Islands Territorial Bird
Bananaquit (common name)  Coereba flaveola sanctithomae (scientific name) Overview The bananaquit is a tiny yellow nectar-eating bird common throughout the Caribbean and South America. It has a dark grey back, a white stripe above the eye, and a downward-curved beak. The sexes look the same. Its song is a shrill twittering. The bananaquit was named the official bird of the U.S. Virgin Islands territory in 1970. Close-up STATUS Official ALSO KNOWN AS Yellowbreast, sugar bird, yellow bird, banana bird, paw-paw Bird, yellow see-see, chibichibi, Reinita comun PHYSICAL DETAILS  Male Female  Size Length to end of tail: 4.1–4.5 in (10.5–11.5 cm) Wing from flexure: 7.5 in (19 cm) Length to end of tail: 4.1–4.5 in (10.5–11.5 cm) Wing from flexure: 7.75 in (20 cm)  Weight 0.31–0.35 oz (9–10 g) 0.31–0.35 oz (9–10 g) BEHAVIOR Forages in hibiscus bushes and trees. When feeding on nectar from large flowers like hibiscus and heliconia, whose nectar is beyond the reach of its bill, it will pierce the flowers from the side to extract the nectar. The bananaquit cannot hover like a hummingbird and just perches while feeding, sometimes by hanging upside down from a branch. The bird is very social and often forms small flocks where food is abundant. Polygamous parents build several nests, which are spherical and built of grass five to 30 feet above the ground with an interior lining of feathers and a side entrance hole. Females lay up to three eggs and incubate them. The bananaquit's diet consists of nectar, fruit, caterpillars, wasps, beetles, flies, moths, and spiders. HABITAT Tropical rainforest, gardens, and coastal areas. Range: From the Caribbean Islands to southern Brazil Migration: Resident (None) Conservation Status: Least Concern NESTING Nesting Period: March through early August Size of Clutch: 1–3 eggs Incubation Period: 12–13 days Egg Description: Off-white with brown and salmon-colored flecks SIMILAR SPECIES Reinita mora, cuban grassquit, sparrow TRIVIA Known as the tietiepriesie in indigenous Caribbean languages, the bananaquit is a common bird in the Caribbean, popular for its modest beauty.  The bird will also eat sugar, so many locals put out sugar or sugar water to attract it. This has earned it the nickname "sugar bird" or suikerdiefje ("sugar thief") in Dutch.  It appears on the great seal of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which became effective on January 1, 1991.  Many Caribbean and South American countries have featured the bird on their postage stamps.
	Click to enlarge an image Bananaquit CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Coerebidae Genus: Coereba Species: C. flaveola sanctithomae
	Author: World Trade Press