Puerto Rican Spindalis
Spindalis portoricensis
The Puerto Rican Spindalis (Spindalis portoricensis) is a uncommon spindalis found only in Puerto Rico, weighing about 32 g. The Puerto Rican spindalis is a bird endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, where it is commonly known as reina mora or cigua puertorriqueña.
About the Puerto Rican Spindalis
The Puerto Rican spindalis is a bird endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, where it is commonly known as reina mora or cigua puertorriqueña. The species is widely distributed throughout the island and is an important part of the Puerto Rican ecosystem because of its help in seed dispersal and plant reproduction.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Puerto Rican spindalis exhibits sexual dimorphism with males being brightly colored and females being dully colored. Males are green colored above with an orange neck and chest. They have a black head with two white stripes running across it, with one above and one below the eyes. The tail and wings are gray to black with small white stripes at the tips. In contrast, the female is a dull olive-green color with slightly noticeable white stripes. Sexual dimorphism is also noticeable in weight and size. Females are slightly heavier but smaller in length than males.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Puerto Rican Spindalis?
- The Puerto Rican spindalis exhibits sexual dimorphism with males being brightly colored and females being dully colored. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Puerto Rican Spindalis?
- The Puerto Rican Spindalis is a small sized bird weighing about 32 g.
- Where can you see a Puerto Rican Spindalis?
- The Puerto Rican Spindalis is endemic to Puerto Rico, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Puerto Rican Spindalis?
- The Puerto Rican Spindalis is most easily confused with the Western Spindalis, the Jamaican Spindalis and the Hispaniolan Spindalis.
- Is the Puerto Rican Spindalis endangered?
- The Puerto Rican Spindalis is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Puerto Rican Spindalis for real
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