Pale White-eye has, in the past, been used as a secondary name for two species:
- Cape White-eye - Zosterops pallidus
- Ashy-bellied White-eye - Zosterops citrinella
- Zosterops flavilateralis
Identification
10·2 cm (4 in)
- Yellowish-green upperparts
- Yellow upper tail-coverts
- Yellow forehead
- Dark brown tail
- Narrow white eyering
- Blackish line through lores and at base of eyering
- Yellow underparts
Distribution
Eastern Africa: found in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania
Taxonomy
This species was originally included in Abyssinian White-eye.
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- Z. f. jubaensis:
- Z. f. flavilateralis:
- Extreme south-western Ethiopia to eastern Kenya and east-central Tanzania
Habitat
Found in dryish shrubby and wooded places, including gardens and forest edges
Behaviour
Diet
Their main diet consists of aphids, small insects and caterpillars, with the addition of some fruits.
Breeding
A monogamous species. Both the adults construct the nest from strips of bark and spider's web. The clutch consists of 2-4 pale blue eggs. Both the adults share in the incubation and feeding of the young. Fledglings leave the nest after about 14 days and are cared for by the parents for several more days.
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/
- Avibase Retrieved 19 August 2020
- del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Pale White-eye (Zosterops flavilateralis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whbwhe3.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pale White-eye. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pale_White-eye
