Spindalis is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 consisting of 4 non-migratory bird species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

. The genus is considered endemic

Endemism in birds

An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....

 to the Greater Antilles

Greater Antilles

The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...

; a population on Cozumel Island, off the Yucatán Peninsula's east coast, is part of that island's West Indian fauna. Traditionally considered aberrant tanager

Tanager

The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has an American distribution.There were traditionally about 240 species of tanagers, but the taxonomic treatment of this family's members is currently in a state of flux...

s they are in the family Cardinalidae

Spindalis males are characterized by bright plumage while females are duller and have a different coloration.

The nests of Spindalis are cup-shaped.

• Western Spindalis
  Western Spindalis
  The Western Spindalis , formerly called the Stripe-headed Tanager, is a songbird species. S. zena formerly included other species of spindalis, as well....
  
  , Spindalis zena
• Puerto Rican Spindalis
  Puerto Rican Spindalis
  The Puerto Rican Spindalis, Spindalis portoricensis, is a tanager endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, where it is commonly known as Reina Mora. 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...
  
  , Spindalis portoricensis
• Hispaniolan Spindalis
  Hispaniolan Spindalis
  The Hispaniolan Spindalis is a species of bird in the Cardinalidae family.It is found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
  
  , Spindalis dominicensis
• Jamaican Spindalis
  Jamaican Spindalis
  The Jamaican Spindalis is a species of bird in the Cardinalidae family.It is endemic to Jamaica.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
  
  , Spindalis nigricephala

Historically, the genus consisted of a single polytypic

Polytypic

In zoology, polytypic refers to a taxonomic unit with more than one subgroup at the next lower level.-See also:*Linnaean taxonomy*monotypic*monotypic habitat...

 species, Spindalis zena, with eight recognized subspecies—S. z. townsendi and S. z. zena from the Bahamas,S. z. pretrei from Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, S. z. salvini from Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...

, S. z. dominicensis from Hispaniola

Hispaniola

Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...

 and Gonâve Island

Gonâve Island

Gonâve Island is an island of Haiti located to the west-northwest of Port-au-Prince in the Gulf of Gonâve. It is the largest of the Hispaniolan satellite islands, situated off the mainland...

, S. z. portoricensis from Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, S. z. nigreciphala from Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, and S. z. benedicti from Cozumel Island. In 1997, based primarily on morphological and vocalization differences, three of the subspecies (portoricensis, dominicensis and nigricephala) were elevated to species status. S. zena remained a polytypic species with five recognized subspecies—S. z. pretrei, S. z. salvini, S. z. benedicti, S. z. townsendi, and S. z. zena.