Banana-quit

noun ba-NAA-na kwit baˈnaːna kwɪt

Also spelled banana quit, bananaquit, beany bird

A tiny, bold yellow-breasted nectar bird with a curved beak and a black cap, forever busy at flowers and feeders for nectar and sugar. Also called the 'beany bird' or 'sugar bird', the banana-quit is a familiar cheerful sight in Jamaican gardens, unafraid to sip from a sugar bowl left on the verandah.

  • Di banana-quit sip di sugar water.

    The bananaquit sips the sugar water.

  • A beany bird deh pon di flowa.

    A bananaquit is on the flower.

  • Di sugar bird bold, it come right pon di table.

    The sugar bird is bold; it comes right onto the table.

From 'banana' + 'quit' (small Caribbean bird); also 'beany bird'/'sugar bird'. See [[grass-quit]], [[doctor-bird]].

The yellow-breasted nectar 'sugar bird'; bold garden visitor. See [[grass-quit]], [[doctor-bird]].