- Zosterops auriventer
Identification
9.5-12 cm
Upperside olive-green, underside mostly medium grey but with bright yellow on throat, vent and in a central stripe going forward from the vent. Side of head shows black from eye to bill as well as a white eye-ring that is broken in front and above the eye is 1/3 as wide as the diameter of the eye.
Similar species
Swinhoe's White-eye has a wider eye-ring (1/2 of diameter above the eye), brighter supraloral area (yellowish rather than green) and a longer, more pointed bill. Swinhoe's also has brighter wing coverts.
Distribution
From southeastern Myanmar through the peninsula of Thailand and Malaysia to Borneo
Taxonomy
Four subspecies are recognized[1]:
- Z. a. auriventer
- Poorly known; documented only from southeastern Myanmar
- Z. a. wetmorei
- Southern Thailand and the northern Thai-Malay Peninsula
- Z. a. tahanensis
- Southern Thai-Malay Peninsula
- Z. a. medius
- Borneo
This species was defined only recently[2]. The subspecies included came from the former Oriental White-eye and Everett's White-eye.
Habitat
Mostly foothill areas down almost to sea level. Likes broad-leaved forest both primary and secondary, but also found in edges, plantations, and shrub nearby.
Behaviour
Main food seems to be native fruits, supplemented by nectar and small invertebrates.
Vocalisation
Song quality described as twittering.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Birdforum thread which from about post 80 discusses the taxonomic changes leading to the definition of this species
- van Balen, B. and W. L. Limparungpatthanakij (2020). Hume's White-eye (Zosterops auriventer), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.humwhe1.02
- Birdforum thread describing differences of Hume's vs Swinhoe's White-eyes
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Hume's White-eye. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Hume%27s_White-eye
