Western spindalis
Spindalis zena
The western spindalis , formerly called the stripe-headed tanager, is a songbird species. ''S. zena'' formerly included other species of spindalis, as well.
The spindalises were traditionally considered aberrant tanagers of the family Thraupidae, but like the equally enigmatic bananaquit , they are often treated as ''incertae sedis'' among the nine-primaried oscines.
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 and black-backed . 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. They are 15 cm long and weigh 21 g .
The species is found in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, 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.
The spindalises were traditionally considered aberrant tanagers of the family Thraupidae, but like the equally enigmatic bananaquit , they are often treated as ''incertae sedis'' among the nine-primaried oscines.
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 and black-backed . 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. They are 15 cm long and weigh 21 g .
The species is found in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, 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.