Hispaniolan spindalis

Hispaniolan spindalis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Spindalidae
Genus:	Spindalis
Species:	S. dominicensis
Binomial name
Spindalis dominicensis (Bryant, H, 1867)

The Hispaniolan spindalis (Spindalis dominicensis) is one of four species of

The Hispaniolan spindalis is found throughout the main island of Hispaniola and on Gonâve Island in Haiti's Gulf of Gonâve. It inhabits a variety of humid forest habitats containing thickets and other low vegetation. It also occurs in orchards and plantations. It is found at almost any elevation but is most numerous in the highlands.^[5]

Behavior

Movement

The Hispaniolan spindalis is a year-round resident throughout its range, but makes local movements depending on the availability of fruit.^[5]

Feeding

The Hispaniolan spindalis feeds primarily on fruit of many varieties that it pecks open. It also feeds on flower buds, seeds, tender leaves, and insects. It forages from near the ground in bushes to the tops of fruiting trees. Though it typically forages in pairs or small groups, larger numbers may gather in a heavily fruited tree.^[5]

Breeding

The Hispaniolan spindalis' breeding season is mostly May to June ,though some pairs may raise a second brood after. It makes a small cup nest of dry grass in a tree or bush up to about 4.5 m (10 ft) above the ground. The clutch size is three eggs. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.^[5]

Vocalization

As of late 2022 xeno-canto had only two recordings of Hispaniolan spindalis vocalizations, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library a few more. The male's dawn song is "a thin, high-pitched whistle, or a prolonged weak, sibilant 'tsee see see see'", sung from an exposed perch or inside dense foliage. Females sing a softer version of the male's song. The species' calls include "a high 'thseep'" and a "more drawn-out 'seeee'".^[5]

Status

The