# Bananaquit

Scientific name: Coereba flaveola

Bird group: [tanager](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/tanager)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/290/Bananaquit

## Identification

The bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) is a species of passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. 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 and New World sparrows in the family Emberizidae, with New World warblers in the family Parulidae or in its own monotypic family Coerebidae. This small, active nectarivore is found in warmer parts of the Americas, and is generally common.
  Juvenile bananaquits are duller than adults, and may have yellow eyebrow and throat

## Distribution and habitat

The Bananaquit occurs throughout the West Indies, 
as well as Central and South 
America (Raffaele and others 
1998). It is one of the most 
common resident species 
in Puerto Rico that occurs 
throughout the island and 
associated satellite islands 
(Raffaele and others 1998). 
However, it appears to be 
absent from Mona, Monito, and 
Desecheo islands (Terborgh and 
Faaborg 1973, Ventosa-Febles 
and others 2005). This species 
occurs in most habitats including 
urban areas and gardens, from 
scrubland to tropical lowland 
forest edges, but it is rare in 
the highest mountain tops and 
driest lowlands (Raffaele and 
others 1998). The atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 1,101 records 
within 418 hexagons or 87 
percent of the 479 total hexagons 
(see map). Of the 418 hexagons 
where this species was found, 
breeding met the atlas definition 
of confirmed in 21 percent (87) 
of the hexagons, probable in 
60 percent (252), and possible in 
19 percent (79) (see map). Bananaquit distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

## Breeding

The Bananaquit constructs a nest made of grass and fine 
plant fiber year-round, but 
primarily from March to June, 
and following the seasonality 
of rainfall, according to 
previously published reports 
(Raffaele and others 1998). 
Atlas results indicate that 
the breeding season extends 
throughout the year, with a       281Bananaquit/Reinita Comúnpeak of breeding from March through June, as consistent with 
previous literature (see chart). 
The seasonal breeding pattern 
appears to coincide in each of 
the life zones with no evidence 
to suggest breeding times differ 
among the life zones. Results 
show that this species breeds in 
all of the ecological life zones, 
but most of the breeding activity 
was reported for the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (59 percent 
of the hexagons) that occupies 
the largest portion of the island, 
and also for the subtropical dry and subtropical wet forest life 
zones (20 and 20 percent of the 
hexagons, respectively) (see 
table and map). Evidence of 
breeding activity was reported 
for only one hexagon in the 
subtropical rain forest life zone.

## Conservation

The population trend for the Bananaquit across its distribution 
is stable, and it is listed as a 
species of least concern by the 
IUCN (BirdLife International 
2016), while locally this species is not listed in any of the 
threatened categories used 
by PRDNER and USFWS. In 
Puerto Rico, the Bananaquit 
has a protected habitat in land 
of 12 percent or 1183 km2 of the total area covered by the 
hexagons where evidence of 
breeding was found for this 
species (~9972 km2). Note this area is larger than the total 
terrestrial area of the island 
because coastal hexagons and 
those hexagons covering small 
cays include a portion of water. 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_290_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_290_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.