Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena), male
Western Spindalis, Male

Western Spindalis

Spindalis zena

The Western Spindalis, Spindalis zena, is a vibrant songbird, the male adorned with a striking black and white striped head, a rich burnt orange throat, breast, and nape, and a light grey belly. Females, though less vivid, share the head pattern in a muted grey, with an olive-grey back and greyish-brown underparts, accented with a subtle orange on the breast, rump, and shoulders. This species measures about 15 cm in length and weighs approximately 21 g.

Identification Tips

To identify the Western Spindalis, look for the male's distinctive head stripes and contrasting orange and grey plumage. Females can be recognized by their grey head stripes and less colorful, yet still distinctive, orange wash. Two color variations exist: green-backed, typically found in the northern range, and black-backed, also generally northern.

Habitat

The Western Spindalis favors subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and areas of heavily degraded former forest. The subspecies zena is particularly associated with pine forests.

Distribution

This species is native to southeastern Florida and the western Caribbean, including Cozumel, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is a rare visitor to extreme southern Florida, where breeding has been recorded.

Subspecies

Several subspecies of the Western Spindalis are recognized, each with a distinct geographical distribution:

  • 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

Similar Species

While the Western Spindalis is quite distinctive, it may be confused with other tanager species. However, its unique head striping and coloration set it apart from its relatives.

Conservation Status

The IUCN currently lists the Western Spindalis as Least Concern, indicating that it is not considered a threatened species.

Western Spindalis Sounds


Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Western Spindalis on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Spindalises

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Abi.M
Awesome App
I really enjoy using this app! It is such a friendly community of bird-lovers who are happy to help if I need ID advice. It’s been great motivation to get outdoors and go birding more! 10/10 😍😍
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.