Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
eBird provides this description for the Bananaquit: Tiny, active, warbler-like bird of tropical and subtropical forest edge, woodland, and gardens. Feeds on nectar and fruit, and in some areas visits bird feeders. Variable plumage across range, especially in the Caribbean, but always note small size and sharp, slightly decurved bill. Most populations have a bold white eyebrow and yellow underparts. Throat color varies from pale gray on mainland (Mexico to South America) to white on some island populations (including Cozumel) or sooty gray (Greater Antilles). Some birds in the Lesser Antilles are entirely black. Song is variable across range but usually high-pitched and scratchy.
The Birds of the World website introduces this bird like this: The Bananaquit inhabits a variety of habitats from scrubland to tropical lowland forest edge, from the Antilles and Mexico south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Bananaquits are distinctive birds with down-curved bills, black upperparts, bright yellow underparts, and a conspicuous white eyebrow. Across its broad distribution, however, Bananaquits exhibit considerable geographic variation, with no fewer than 41 recognized subspecies; these differ in features such as the color of the throat (white, gray or black), the presence of absence of a white spot on the wing, the length of the bill, and the extent of yellow on the underparts. In addition, on some islands in the West Indies an entirely sooty color morph is frequent. Bananaquits are bold and active feeders, and most often are encountered in pairs or in small family groups. With a diet of nectar and fruit, Bananaquits frequent flowering trees and shrubs where they often cling to flowers.I saw my first Bananaquit near the mess hall at La Selva on the late afternoon of Sunday, February 5, 2023. This small bird was seen several times by our group, usually darting around in the bushes near the mess hall. To see my blog post that covers the time I spent at La Selva during my Costa Rican birding trip, look here.
