Indian White-eye - BirdForum Opus

Nominate subspecies Z. p. palpebrosus
Photo © by Yeshey Dorji
Taba, Western Bhutan, August 2004

Zosterops palpebrosus

Identification

9·6–11 cm (3¼-4¼ in)

• Greenish-yellow upperparts
• White to light grey underparts
• Bright yellow throat and breast
• Rounded wings
• Strong legs
• White eye-ring

Variation

Birds that are completely yellow (including underside) have been reported in the range of the subspecies siamensis.

Distribution

Subspecies Z. p. occidentis
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Ranikhet Hill Station, Alt. 6800 ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, 3 April 2018

From Afghanistan over Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Burma to Indochina. Also found on Sri Lanka and the Andamans as well as in isolated populations in Oman (Mahawt Island) and in southern Iran.

Taxonomy

This species plus other subspecies were in the past lumped together in the former Oriental White-eye. Indian White-eye includes mostly the subspecies from the western end of that group.

Subspecies

Subspecies Z. p. occidentis
Photo © by max1
Gurgaon, near Delhi, India, 14 February 2018

There are seven subspecies¹

• Z. p. occidentis
  • Northeastern Afghanistan east to western Himalayas, and northern and central India
• Z. p. palpebrosus
  • Central and eastern Himalayas east to southern China (Sichuan, Yunnan) and Myanmar; isolated populations on Mahawt Island, Oman, and in southern Iran have been assigned to nominate palpebralis, although this requires confirmation
• Z. p. nilgiriensis
  • Western India (Western Ghats); most populations elsewhere in southern peninsular India are more or less similar
• Z. p. salimalii
  • Southeastern Hyderabad, southeastern India
• Z. p. egregius
  • Sri Lanka
• Z. p. siamensis
  • Southern Myanmar east through Indochina
• Z. p. nicobaricus
  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Habitat

Common in hill forests and wooded areas, but also occupies forested areas including mangrove down to sea level. In the eastern end of its range it rarely is found in lowland.

Behaviour

Breeding

It builds a tree nest and lays 2-5 unspotted pale blue eggs.

Diet

Its diet mainly includes insects, but it will also eat nectar and fruits of various kinds.

Vocalisation

Calling and giving summer song while perched in a Deodar pine tree; few pairs were nesting in the vicinity.

Audio © by Alok Tewari
Mussoorie Hill Station, altitude 6800 feet, Dehradun, Uttarakhand Himalayas, India. 29 April 2024.

References

1. 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/
2. TrekNature
3. Birdforum thread which from about post 80 discusses the taxonomic changes leading to redefining the former Oriental White-eye

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Indian White-eye. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Indian_White-eye

External Links

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