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Last modified: 2021-08-25 by rob raeside
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The bird on the Virgin Islands' flag is not an American eagle
- it is a bananaquit, a beautiful little warbler native to the
Caribbean. See: <www.wbu.com>.
The flag I saw looked like the bananaquit. There is another flag
that does look like an eagle
D. Regina Boyd, 24 and 27 September 2008
Every source I have quotes it as being an "American
Eagle" (or sometimes "a version of the US arms"),
and in all truth it looks like the same eagle (but in gold) to
me.
However, is not the bird on the seal of the US Virgin Islands a
bananaquit?
Christopher Southworth, 24 September 2008
It is s a "Yellow Breast" according to <www.legvi.org|>:
"The present Great Seal of the U.S. Virgin Islands became
effective on January 1, 1991. It was designed by Mitch Davis, a
native Virgin Islander, and was selected from among 33 other
submissions from around the world. The symbols depicted thereon
are representative of the three major islands comprising the U.S.
Virgin Islands and were chosen for their historical as well as
future significance. The sugar mill was chosen for St. Croix
because it was the center of agricultural productivity during the
early years of the island?s history. Today, St. Croix is the hub
of industrial production in the territory, with the Hess Oil
Refinery, Martin Marietta Complex and the Industrial Park. The
Annaberg ruins on the island of St. John represent that islands?s
role in the production of sugar and the slave uprisings. The
ruins currently site in the National Park, which is the bastion
of preservation in the territory and its environment for the
present and into the future. The Legislative Building on the
island of St. Thomas represents the seat of government and the
capital of the United States Virgin Islands. The two flags being
flown are the Dannaberg, which is being lowered, and the U.S.
flag. The flags depict the transfer of the islands from Denmark
to the United States on March 31, 1917, on the grounds of the
Legislature. The boat in the harbor of St. Thomas represents the
importance of the islands in interstate and international
commerce, from Columbus? discovery of the islands to the present
and into the future, with the cruise ship and charter boat
industries as well as down island traders.
The motto inscribed on the scroll, "United in Pride and
Hope" relates to the fact that the islands are inhabited by
varied groups of people of different ethnic, national and
religious persuasions and all live together in relative harmony
to form one community.
Put the above variables together and you have a seal that
represents pride, dignity, history, culture and the natural
beauty of the United States Virgin Islands.
The purpose of this design is to instill a sense of pride and
dignity in the U.S.V.I. and in our people. Each color which makes
up the composition was chosen to exemplify a specific identity to
the islands. Working from the outside to the center, the
significance of each aspect of the design is described below.
The words "Legislature of the United States Virgin
Islands" encircle the seal. The yellow color which borders
the seal represents our tropical sun with its brilliant rays
beaming down and keeping us warm 365 days a year; the green color
of the islands represents the foliage that is ever present and
creates our natural beauty; the white trim around the islands
represents the white sand that is found on our world-renowned
beaches; the blue represents the crystal clear waters which
surround our islands and the magnificent blue skies which are
seldom cloudy.
In addition, the Yellow Breast, our national bird, with its
regal-colored chest is perched on a stem of our national flower,
the Yellow Cedar, with three of its fruits, three flowers in
bloom, and three leaves, all representing the three major
islands. These national symbols were especially selected for the
following reasons: 1. they are our legally adopted national
symbols; 2. they are easily recognized; and 3. they populate all
of the islands."
Jarig Bakker, 24 September 2008
A bananaquit is a passerine, being the only member
of genus Coereba. Local names: beany bird
(Jamaica), honey-creeper (St Vincent, US Virgin Is), see-see bird
(Grenada), sikyé-bird (Trinidad), sugar-bird (Barbados, USVI),
and yellow-breast (Antigua, Barbados, USVI).
There is a big collection of bananaquit videos on the Internet
Bird Collection (a kind of BOTW). There is also a big
collection of bananaquit songs at <www.xeno-canto.org>.
Ivan Sache, 24 September 2008
I saw the design of the up-coming Virgin Islands' quarter
dollar. I couldn't figure out what the bird, "Yellow
Breast" was supposed to be. I saw that the seal also had a
similar bird.
Raffaele's "A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands" concurs that the Virgin Islands' local name
for the Bananaquit is "Yellows Breast", but neither the
quarter dollar nor the seal as shown above looks like one.
The beak is short, looking like a sparrow's beak, not curved and
sharply pointed. The throat of the bird on the seal is too light
and has a blueish cast rather than gray. At the past, I was
convinced it was a (still poorly drawn) warbler in winter
plumage.
Cyril N. Alberga, 1 January 2009
