Indian White-eye - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Yeshey Dorji
Taken at Taba, Western Bhutan

Zosterops palpebrosus

Identification

10cm. Green above, white underparts, bright yellow throat and breast. It has rounded wings and strong legs.

Distribution

From Afghanistan over Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma to Indochina and Indonesia and north to China. Also found on Sri Lanka and the Andamans.

Taxonomy

There are twelve subspecies¹

• Z. p. egregius
  • Afghanistan to Pakistan,India, and Sri Lanka
• Z. p. palpebrosus
  • Nepal to southeastern Tibet, southwestern China, northern Thailand, and Indochina
• Z. p. nilgiriensis
  • Nilgiri and Palani Hills of southern India
• Z. p. salimalii
  • Southeastern Hyderabad, southeastern India
• Z. p. nicobaricus
  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Z. p. joannae
  • Southwestern China
• Z. p. williamsoni
  • Southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula
• Z. p. auriventer
  • Southern Burma to Malaysia, western Borneo, and southern Natuna and Bangka Islands
• Z. p. sumatranus
  • Western Sumatra
• Z. p. buxtoni
  • Mountains of eastern Sumatra and western Java
• Z. p. melanurus
  • Mountains of central Sumatra, eastern Java, and Bali
• Z. p. unicus
  • Sumbawa and Flores, western Lesser Sundas

Habitat

Hill forests and wooded areas.

Behaviour

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

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

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

External Links

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