- Zosterops ugiensis
Identification
12.5cm.
- Dark olive or brownish-olive above
- Dark brown washed face and forehead
- Blackish-brown primaries and tail with dark olive outer margins
- Dirty white breast and throat, greyish at sides
- Almost pure white undertail-coverts and abdomen
- Pale to dark orange-brown eye
- Blackish bill with whitish base of lower mandible
- Pale leaden grey legs
- hamlini with narrow white eyering, sooty brown face and forehead, greenish-olive upper throat and yellow undertail-coverts
- oblitus with olive-green face and forehead, more greyish breast and pale yellow undertail-coverts
Sexes similar, juveniles undescribed
Distribution
Found on the Solomon Islands.
A restricted-range species but common to abundant in its range.
Taxonomy
Three subspecies accepted:
- Z. u. halmini on Bougainville Island
- Z. u. oblitus on Guadalcanal
- Z. u. ugiensis on San Cristobal
There is some confusion with the scientific name of this species. The Handbook of the Birds of the World uses Zosterops rendovae, a name which Clements uses for Solomon White-eye (Zosterops kulambangrae).
Habitat
Found in forests, mainly at forest edge and in secondary forest. Mostly in hills and mountains, rarely in lowlands. Occurs from 900 - 1950m on Bougainville, replacing Yellow-throated White-eye at this elevations.
Behaviour
Feeds on soft seedy fruit, small seeds and occasionally on insects.
Often seen in flocks of 6 to 12 birds, sometimes together with Yellow-throated White-eye.
Breeding season unclear. Juveniles were seen in Apirl, birds with enlarged gonads in July and August.
No information about movements.
References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2008. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553453
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2010. IOC World Bird Names (version 2.7). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Grey-throated White-eye. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey-throated_White-eye