Can you ID this little white-eyed bird? (1 Viewer)

billybunter

Member

• Aug 11, 2003

• #1

Can anyone identify this little bird, please? Regrettably it was a cat kill. My cat must have found it somewhere in or near our garden in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, UK in the early morning of 11 August 2003. I'm not a bird expert though I can recognise most common garden birds. But this one has me stumped. I've been all through two bird books and lots of websites trying to track it down, without success. It's about 11cms long and the most distinctive features are the circular white eye patches. The area between the eyes and above the beak is slightly more yellowy than the rest of its upper plumage, which is olive green. The wing tips and tail are black. The long, thin beak is like a flycatcher (?) but those prominent eye patches make me think it is maybe something more exotic - maybe an escaped cage bird?

 

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Pterodroma kid

Member

• Aug 11, 2003

• #2

Hi BillyBunter,

This is a species of White-eye, I don't know which one. It must be an escaped cage bird because they are not native to Europe.

Hope your Postal order arrives.

Julian

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Aug 11, 2003

• #3

It isn't a Japanese White-eye. Bill (or beak) is too long, 'way too much white around the eye, and not enough contrast between back and belly.

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Aug 11, 2003

• #4

It is a white-eye of some sort though; did a google search, and found an African species of white-eye (Zosterops silvanus) that has even more white round the eye than this:
http://www.conbio.org/SCB/Services/Tips/images/v16n2Img0005s.jpg
But that species doesn't fit on other plumage characters, and is also a very rare species that isn't going to turn up in the cagebird trade.

Altogether, there's about 80 species of Zosterops to chose from, so it won't be easy!

Michael

 

Last edited: Aug 11, 2003

billybunter

Member

• Aug 11, 2003

• #5

Here's another photo of the same bird, which shows a sort of black line running between its eyes.

I suppose it may be no coincidence that yesterday was Britain's hottest ever day and a Sunday. With windows open everywhere, it is more likely than ever that a caged bird should get loose.

I found a picture of a yellow white eye on a website which doesn't look a million miles away

http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=0011033

 

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helenh

Well-known member

• Aug 11, 2003

• #6

Difficult to tell when it's dead but it looks like the Montane White-eye (Zosterops poliogaster) which is an East African species. Certainly going to be an escapee I would say.

I remember a couple of years ago soemone emailed me about caring for White-eyes as cagebirds. They'd received a couple unexpectedly in a delivery (they were expecting finches IIRC).

Helen

 

Hanno

Ho Ho Ho

• Aug 12, 2003

• #7

Hmmm, doesn't seem to be one of the White-eyes from these parts of the world (Oriental, Japanese, Mountain). I think this is a tough call, without knowing what continent it came from originally.

 

Tannin

Common; sedentary.

• Aug 12, 2003

• #8

Not from Australia or New Zealand either, I think. That makes Helen's suggestion look good.

 

N

Nick-on

Well-known member

• Aug 12, 2003

• #9

Just a thought but...
I seem to remember, many years ago (1990 ish), seeing a supposed White eye on Scillies or Lands End area. Personally I had no idea what it was (and cnn't remember what it looked like either - notes are in the loft!) but it eventually turned out to be some sort of 'Silver-eye' I think. So perhaps it's not a white eye, or I could just be talking rubbish...

 

Tannin

Common; sedentary.

• Aug 12, 2003

• #10

There may be others in different parts of the world, but here in Australia, a Silvereye is a very common bird. I see no reason why someone could not have exported some to the UK (or anywhere else). And yes, it is a member of the Zosteropidae: Zosterops luteus. The bird in the pictures above is clearly not a Silvereye, but looks very much like a relative: they are quite similar.

 

Tannin

Common; sedentary.

• Aug 12, 2003

• #11

I just found a picture of one I tried to rescue from a cat. It's very ill and died shortly afterwards, so it doesn't nearly do the beautiful little thing justice, but it's the only shot I have.

 

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billybunter

Member

• Aug 14, 2003

• #12

Thanks, everyone, for helping me to identify this interesting little bird which was clearly many thousands of miles from its original home. Hopefully the next time I have something to identify, it will be alive.

 

Zimbernard

Active member

• Aug 15, 2003

• #13

It doesnt look like any of the southrn African Zosterops, either palidus or senegalensis

 

Rasmus Boegh

BF member

• May 22, 2004

• #14

Just bumping a thread again!

If there should be any doubts, the bird certainly belongs to the group of white-eyes found in various isolated forest-patches in east Africa. The splitting in this group has been crazy, and I have a hard time keeping up with it... (and don't really care until it is fully agreed upon)
Anyways, the bird is one of the following (sub-)species:

Zosterops poliogaster.
Z. kulalensis.
Z. silvanus (photo linked by Michale in thread #4)
Z. winifredae.

Even within each of the above species the variation is significant, more or less a new variation for each mountain in the area! Originally all were placed in Z. poliogaster, and many still believe that is the correct way of doing it.

 

Last edited: May 22, 2004