Alternative names: Variable White-eye; Solomon Grey-throated White-eye
- Zosterops rendovae
Zosterops ugiensis
Includes: Bougainville White-eye, Guadalcanal White-eye
Identification
12.5cm (5 in).
- 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
There has been some confusion with the scientific name of this species, however, the current consensus is to use Zosterops rendovae, and no longer to use Zosterops ugiensis.
The subspecies may be split as follows: halmini as "Bougainville White-eye", Z. hamlini; oblitus as "Guadalcanal White-eye", Z. oblitus; and rendovae as "Gray-throated White-eye", Z. rendovae (strict sense).
Subspecies
Taxa we include here which Clements recognises [1]:
- Z. r. halmini: "Bougainville White-eye". Bougainville Island
- Z. r. oblitus: "Guadalcanal White-eye". Guadalcanal
- Z. r. rendovae: Makira
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
Diet
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
Breeding season unclear. Juveniles were seen in Apirl, birds with enlarged gonads in July and August.
Movements
No information about movements.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey-throated_White-eye
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
