Heleia

Heleia
Mees's white-eye, Heleia javanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Zosteropidae
Genus:	Heleia Hartlaub, 1865
Type species
Heleia muelleri (Timor heleia) Hartlaub, 1865

Heleia is a genus of birds in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. One species, the Timor heleia is restricted to the island of Timor. ^[1] The pygmy heleia is endemic to the island of Borneo. ^[2] The thick-billed heleia, occurs on Flores and Sumbawa. ^[3]

Taxonomy

The genus Heleia was introduced in 1865 by the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub to accommodate the Timor heleia. ^[4] The name is from Ancient Greek eleia, an unidentified small bird mentioned by the Greek scholar Callimachus. ^[5]

The genus contains ten species: ^[6]

• Javan heleia, Heleia javanica – montane Java and Bali
• Grey-hooded heleia, Heleia pinaiae – montane central Seram (central east Moluccas)
• Pygmy heleia, Heleia squamifrons – Borneo
• Mindanao heleia, Heleia goodfellowi – montane Mindanao (south Philippines)
• Sulawesi heleia, Heleia squamiceps – montane Sulawesi
• Eyebrowed heleia, Heleia superciliaris – montane Sumbawa and Flores (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Crested heleia, Heleia dohertyi – Sumbawa to Flores (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Timor heleia, Heleia muelleri – Timor (east Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Thick-billed heleia, Heleia crassirostris – Sumbawa and Flores (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Yellow-spectacled heleia, Heleia wallacei – Sumbawa to Sumba and Lembata (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands)

References

1. van Balen, B. (2017). Spot-breasted White-eye (Heleia muelleri). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/60249 on 27 March 2017).
2. Myers, Susan (2016). Birds of Borneo (2nd ed.). London, UK: Christopher Helm. p. 266. ISBN   978-1-4729-2444-5.
3. van Balen, B. (2017). Thick-billed White-eye (Heleia crassirostris). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/60250 on 27 March 2017).
4. Hartlaub, Gustav (1865). "Monographischer Versuch über die Gattung Zosterops". Journal für Ornithologie (in German). 13 (73): 1–30 [26]. Bibcode:1865JOrni..13....1H. doi:10.1007/BF02261150. S2CID   9279254.
5. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 187. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
6. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Sylviid babblers, parrotbills, white-eyes". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 26 March 2025.