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Captive bird - Eden Project, Cornwall (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter AndyK
- Start date
Jamie Dunning
Well-known member
a Sulawesi (pale bellied?) White-eye, they were released to keep the insects under control apparently.
Valéry Schollaert
Respect animals, don't eat or wear their body or s
A white-eye of some sort, but without range it might be impossible to ID...
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Interesting. A brief google search (yeah I know!) has thrown up images of birds labelled Sulawesi (pale-bellied) White-eye that look like they're taken in the field, that don't look like this. They have marked contrast between yellow throat and whitish rest of unds. There are other images that look like this bird, but they've got colour rings on. I wonder if the birds at the Eden project really are this species?
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
I asked when I was there a decade or so ago and was told they were Sulawesi.
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Hmmm. Anyone got a field guide or more resources to hand? I haven't seen Sulawesi (Pale-bellied) White-eye, and not sure about it's distribution etc. But did see Lemon-bellied White-eye on Sulawesi, which looks not unlike the bird posted (along with about a zillion other white-eyes I guess!). Lemon-bellied is widespread in Indonesia. Any chance these are Lemon-bellied White-eyes from Sulawesi, and someone's put 2 and 2 together when naming them at the Eden Project? I could easily be wrong though.
Jamie Dunning
Well-known member
I have to say my answer was based less on experience with the species and more on recent trips to the Eden project!
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Here's a Sulawesi White-eye.
http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=1380
quite different to the OP's bird.
Jamie or Pete, can you recall if the info at the Eden project just says they're white-eyes from Sulawesi, or Sulawesi White-eyes? Two quite different things!
http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=1380
quite different to the OP's bird.
Jamie or Pete, can you recall if the info at the Eden project just says they're white-eyes from Sulawesi, or Sulawesi White-eyes? Two quite different things!
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chris butterworth
aka The Person Named Above
Looks more like Lemon-bellied - but with photos of White-eyes in captivity, who knows. It's certainly not Sulawesi White-eye, the eyering is too narrow, there's no grey at the sides of the neck and the belly doesn't contrast nearly enough. If they are from Sulawesi - they could be from anywhere and have just been sold under that name - then Lemon-bellied is a better bet. Anyone have sound recordings of the birds - it's the 'easiest' way to ID them.
Chris
Just looked at the OBC photo posted by Larry - that's Sulawesi White-eye ( unlike the one on Opus, which is an "Eden Project" White-eye )
c
Chris
Just looked at the OBC photo posted by Larry - that's Sulawesi White-eye ( unlike the one on Opus, which is an "Eden Project" White-eye )
c
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Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
well spotted Chris. Not sure if you've done it somewhere already, but I posted a heads-up on this on the Opus discussion forum.
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Larry, I did not see any written info whilst there but I asked a staff member in the biome what the birds were and was told 'Sulawesi White-eye' but I guess it is just as likely that this simply meant a type White-eye from Sulawesi and he knew no better.
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Thanks Pete, I wondered if it was something like that. It's certainly meant they've taken over Sulawesi White-eye on google images though!
The book "Eden" by Tim Smit, published in 2001 states:
(my underlining)
"Pests and diseases are part of life in all botanic gardens, and controlling them is one of the great experiments. ... At the time of writing we have just introduced twenty white-eyes from South East Asia into the Humid Tropics Biome. ... Minute nesting boxes of woven sisal have been fixed to strategic trees to encourage them to breed. Next came the ten breeding pairs of geckos, four bullfrogs, six breeding pairs of green ariole lizards and some tree frogs to keep the tree canopy clean."
[Chapter 15 'Guerillas in the Mist']
No particular species mentioned there. Perhaps the "Sulawesi" has somehow come down through the years by way of a sort of Chinese Whispers!
(my underlining)
"Pests and diseases are part of life in all botanic gardens, and controlling them is one of the great experiments. ... At the time of writing we have just introduced twenty white-eyes from South East Asia into the Humid Tropics Biome. ... Minute nesting boxes of woven sisal have been fixed to strategic trees to encourage them to breed. Next came the ten breeding pairs of geckos, four bullfrogs, six breeding pairs of green ariole lizards and some tree frogs to keep the tree canopy clean."
[Chapter 15 'Guerillas in the Mist']
No particular species mentioned there. Perhaps the "Sulawesi" has somehow come down through the years by way of a sort of Chinese Whispers!
