Traditional taxonomists generally place the Palmchat in its own family because of pecularities that suggest it is not closely related to any of the major passerine groups; it nearest realtives are often considered to be the waxwings. Sibley & Monroe (1990) concurred, although they reduced it to a tribe [Dulinae] in the Bombycillidae. It is a moderately odd bird in the field, looking most like a coarse-plumaged tanager or Old World oriole, but differing in being rather vocal (but just gurggles and "cheeps") and in its gregarious behavior.
Palmchats eat fruit and berries, but at the botanical gardens in Santo Domingo this particular bird was pulling off and eating whole flowers!
Photos: All the photos of Palmchat
dominicus were taken in Jan 1999 in the Santo Domingo botanical gardens,
All photos © Don Roberson.
Sibley, Charles G., and Burt L. Monroe. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, CT.
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