View source for Biology:Western spindalis

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Western spindalis (Spindalis zena pretrei) male.JPG
| image_caption = Male ''Spindalis zena pretrei''<br>Viñales, Cuba
| image2 = Spindalis zena pretrei, Ciego de Avila Province, Cuba 2.jpg
| image2_caption = Female ''Spindalis zena pretrei''<br>Ciego de Ávila, Cuba
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2020 |title=''Spindalis zena'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T22722522A137033144 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22722522A137033144.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Spindalis
| species = zena
| authority = ([[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[Biology:10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms = ''Fringilla zena'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
| range_map = Spindalis zena map.svg
}}
[[File:Western spindalis (Spindalis zena pretrei) male 2.JPG|thumb|Male ''Spindalis zena pretrei''<br>showing feathers on back, Cuba]]

The '''western spindalis''' ('''''Spindalis zena''''') is a [[Biology:Songbird|songbird]] [[Biology:Species|species]]. It was formerly considered conspecific with the other three species of spindalis, with the common name '''stripe-headed tanager'''.

==Taxonomy==
The spindalises were traditionally considered aberrant [[Biology:Tanager|tanager]]s of the family Thraupidae, but like the equally enigmatic [[Biology:Bananaquit|bananaquit]] (''Coereba flaveola''), they are formally treated as ''[[Biology:Incertae sedis|incertae sedis]]'' (place uncertain) among the [[Biology:Nine-primaried oscine|nine-primaried oscine]]s until the recognition of the family [[Biology:Spindalidae|spindalidae]].

==Description==
The male is brightly colored with a black and white horizontally striped head and contrasting burnt orange throat, breast and nape. The remainder of the belly is light grey. There are two color variations: green-backed (generally northern) and black-backed (generally northern).<ref name=Sibley/> The female has similar markings on the head, but washed out to a medium grey. She is olive-grey above and greyish-brown below, with a slight orange wash on the breast, rump, and shoulders.<ref name=BofCuba/> They are {{convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and weigh {{convert|21|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Sibley/>

==Distribution and habitat==
The species is found in southeastern Florida and the western Caribbean (Cozumel, the [[Finance:Cayman Islands|Cayman Islands]], Cuba, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands). It is a rare visitor of extreme southern Florida, where the subspecies ''S. z. zena'' successfully bred in 2009.<ref name=soFlorida/>

Its natural [[Earth:Habitat|habitat]]s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland [[Earth:Forest|forest]]s, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest. The subspecies ''zena'' is found in pine forest.

==Conservation==
It is not considered a [[Biology:Threatened species|threatened species]] by the IUCN.

==Subspecies==
* ''Spindalis zena zena'': Central Bahamas
* ''Spindalis zena townsendi'': Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos and Green Turtle Cay
* ''Spindalis zena pretrei'': Cuba, Isle of Pines and adjacent offshore cays
* ''Spindalis zena salvini'': Grand Cayman Island
* ''Spindalis zena benedicti'': Cozumel Island

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=BofCuba>{{cite book |last1=Garrido |first1=Orlando H. |last2=Kirkconnell |first2=Arturo |title=Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba |publisher=Comstock, Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, NY |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-8014-8631-9 |page=205}}</ref>

<ref name=Sibley>{{cite book |last=Sibley |first=David Allen |date=2000 |title=The Sibley Guide to Birds |location=New York |publisher=Knopf |page=[https://archive.org/details/sibleyguidetobir00sibl_0/page/460 460] |isbn=0-679-45122-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sibleyguidetobir00sibl_0/page/460 }}</ref>

<ref name=soFlorida>{{cite web |first=Larry |last=Manfredi |url=http://southfloridabirding.com/html/Western%20Spindalis%20nesting.htm |title=Western Spindalis nesting, first U.S. record!|website=South Florida Birding}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* {{BirdLife|22722522|Spindalis zena}}
* {{Avibase|name=Spindalis zena}}
* {{InternetBirdCollection|western-spindalis-spindalis-zena|Western spindalis}}
* {{VIREO|Western+spindalis}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q918323}}

[[Category:Spindalis|western spindalis]]



{{Sourceattribution|Western spindalis}}