Black-crowned White-eye

Photo by mehd halaouate
North Sulawesi, Indonesia, October 2005

Zosterops atrifrons

Identification

Length: 11–12 cm. Weight:8·3–9·7 g.
Wide white eyering broken in front by a black spot,
which continues below under eyering,
Black forehead and hind part of crown, merging below the crown into
the dark green upperparts.
Flight feathers dark with broad dark green edges.
Tail feathers dark with partially edged dark green.
Chin and throat yellow.
Breast and belly off white.
Undertail coverts yellow.
Eye hazel.
Beak black.
Legs light grey.
Sexes alike.
Juveniles have a duller throat, less extensive black on crown with green speckling and a smaller eyering. ^[2]

Similar Species

Differs from Togian White-eye which has a flesh coloured eye ring

Distribution

Sulawesi and some adjacent islands, Indonesia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 4 subspecies^[1]

• Z. a. atrifrons:is larger than nominate, with bright yellow cheeks and throat.

• North, north-central and south-eastern Sulawesi and Peleng Island (Banggai Island)

• Z. a. sulaensis: is similar to nominate, with broader white eyering and a deep yellowy-orange throat.

• Sula Island (Taliabu, Seho, Mangole and Sanana)

• Z. a. surda: is larger than nominate, with greener upperparts and a greeny-yellow throat.

• Central Sulawesi

• Z. a. subatrifrons:

• Peleng Island

Habitat

Lives in scrub, lowland forest and hill forest of various degrees of degradation including through logging, uses roads and rivers to penetrate forest edge and cultivated highlands. In the lowlands it occurs up to 1500 m. Shares habitat with Pale-bellied White-eye, but not in all areas.

Behaviour

Diet

Eats fruit, arthropods and seeds.
Can be seen foraging in small flocks in Sulawesi, in larger flocks of up to 20 in Taliabu and flocks of up to 100 have been seen in Minahasa, N Sulawesi.
Searches under leaves and epiphytic plants for arthropods. Hovers to reach fruit.

Breeding

Apr–May.
Nests in a cup like nest suspended from the fork of a twig by fibres such as cobwebs. 2–3 blue eggs.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black-crowned White-eye. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-crowned_White-eye

External Links

Search for photos of Black-crowned White-eye in the gallery