White-winged warbler

The white-winged warbler (Xenoligea montana), also called Hispaniolan highland-tanager, is a species of bird classified in the family Phaenicophilidae. It is the only member of the genus Xenoligea, and is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

White-winged warbler
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Phaenicophilidae
Genus: Xenoligea
Bond, 1967
Species:
X. montana
Binomial name
Xenoligea montana
(Chapman, 1917)

Description

The bird is 13–14 cm (5 in) with a long tail and robust beak. The upper back and rump are olive green. The head is dark grey and the tail and wings are blackish. The eyes have a partial white eye-ring and a white stripe going down towards the beak. The underparts are white, turning to grey on the flanks.

Taxonomy

Recently, it has been shown be too genetically distant from the Parulidae proper to be included there. Instead, DNA evidence supports including it in a family with its sister genus Microligea, and the Phaenicophilus palm-tanagers; it resembles a miniature version of Phaenicophilus.

Habitat and diet

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, usually at altitudes above 1,300 m (4265 ft), though it is sometimes found between 800 m and 2000 m. It is threatened by habitat loss. It feeds both on fruits and insects, foraging in the underbrush and all the way up to the forest canopy. It frequently joins mixed foraging flocks of other warblers.

The usual lifespan is 3 to 6 years. The oldest known individual was a bird that was banded in 1998, and captured again in 2006. Much about the white-winged warbler's life is not well documented, including juvenile survival, current distribution in Haiti and other threatened habitats, and molting habits.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Xenoligea montana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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