Malagasy white-eye

Last updated

Malagasy white-eye
Zosterops malgache.png
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Zosteropidae
Genus: Zosterops
Species:
Z. maderaspatanus
Binomial name
Zosterops maderaspatanus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Z. maderaspatanus eggs Zosterops maderaspatanus MHNT 228.jpg
Z. maderaspatanus eggs

The Malagasy white-eye (Zosterops maderaspatanus) is a species of bird in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae. Found in Madagascar and Seychelles, [1] its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Contents

Taxonomy

In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Malagasy white-eye in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Madagascar. He used the French name Le petit figuier de Madagascar and the Latin Ficedula Madagascariensis minor. [2] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. [3] When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. [3] One of these was the Malagasy white-eye. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Motacilla maderaspatana and cited Brisson's work. [4] Although Linnaeus gave the type locality as Madagascar he confusingly used the specific name maderaspatana which is Neo-Latin for Madras (now Chennai) in India. [5] This species is now placed in the genus Zosterops that was introduced by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827. [6]

Four subspecies are recognised: [7]

Description

This white-eye grows to a length of about 10 cm (4 in). The upperparts, wings and tail are a dark olive green, the throat is yellow and the breast and belly pale grey. The white eye ring is incomplete, there being a gap at the front of the reddish-brown eye. The upper mandible of the beak is black and the lower mandible is grey. The legs and feet are greyish-blue. [8]

Distribution and habitat

The Malagasy white-eye occurs in Madagascar and the Seychelles. [1] Small groups of these birds can be found in woodland, foraging among the branches and flitting between the trees, calling constantly to each other with a soft "pee-u". [8]

Behaviour and ecology

A lively and agile bird, its flight is strong but jerky, each flight covering only a short distance. It feeds in the open during the day and moves deeper into the forest at night. It likes to bathe in pools and also makes use of water trapped in hollows in trees for this purpose. Mutual preening sometimes takes place, with two birds almost leaning on one another as they preen around the head, face and chin. [9]

The diet consists mainly of invertebrates and fruits, also including nectar, pollen, flower buds and other vegetable matter. Insects are found by gleaning on twigs and branches, the bird sometimes clinging upside-down to the trunk of a tree. Prey is sometimes caught in the air by hawking, and the bird may hover briefly while taking food, and probe into inflorescences and lichens, sometimes becoming dusted with pollen. [9]

Breeding takes place in the austral summer. The nest is a cup-shaped structure hung from the fork of a branch or built in the middle of a bush. It is made from grass stems and flower heads, fine rootlets, slender fibres, hairs and moss. Two to three eggs are laid. [9]

Status

The Malagasy white-eye has a very wide range and is described as common. No particular threats have been recognised and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has evaluated its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The olive bee-eater or Madagascar bee-eater is a near passerine bee-eater species in the genus Merops. It is native to the southern half of Africa where it is present in Angola; Botswana; Burundi; Comoros; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Kenya; Madagascar; Malawi; Mayotte; Mozambique; Namibia; Rwanda; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe. It is a common species with a wide range so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated their conservation status as "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red fody</span> Species of bird

The red fody, also known as the Madagascar fody in Madagascar, red cardinal fody in Mauritius, or common fody, is a small bird native to Madagascar and introduced to various other islands in the Indian Ocean. It is a common bird within its restricted range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar blue pigeon</span> Species of bird

The Madagascar blue pigeon or Madagascan blue pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. The species is closely related to the other two extant species of blue pigeon, the Comoros blue pigeon and the Seychelles blue pigeon. It is endemic to northern and eastern Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain-breasted ground dove</span> Species of bird

The plain-breasted ground dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It lacks the scaled appearance to the feathers of the similar and typically more abundant common ground dove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-rumped cacique</span> Species of bird

The red-rumped cacique is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is a species of the Amazon Basin and the Guyanas in northern South America, and is only coastal there in the Guyanas and the Amazon River outlet to the Atlantic; a separate large disjunct range exists in all of south-eastern and coastal Brazil, including Paraguay, and parts of north-eastern Argentina. It is also found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-tailed vanga</span> Species of bird

The red-tailed vanga is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-throated manakin</span> Species of bird

The white-throated manakin is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plum-throated cotinga</span> Species of bird

The plum-throated cotinga is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical swamps, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cayenne jay</span> Species of bird

The Cayenne jay is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar blue vanga</span> Species of bird

The Madagascar blue vanga is a bird species in the family Vangidae. It is found in Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested drongo</span> Species of bird

The crested drongo is a passerine bird in the family Dicruridae. It is black with a bluish-green sheen, a distinctive crest on the forehead and a forked tail. There are two subspecies; D. f. forficatus is endemic to Madagascar and D. f. potior, which is larger, is found on the Comoro Islands. Its habitat is lowland forests, both dry and humid, and open savannah country. It is a common bird and the IUCN has listed it as "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean elaenia</span> Species of bird

The Caribbean elaenia is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae found in the West Indies and parts of Central America. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-fronted manakin</span> Species of bird

The white-fronted manakin is a species of bird in the family Pipridae, the manakins. It is native to French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and northeastern Brazil where it inhabits subtropical and tropical moist lowland forest. The male is mainly black, with a blue rump, yellow belly patches and a conspicuous patch of white feathers extending forwards from its forehead. The female is gray and black with a pale yellow belly and white eye ring. This is a fairly common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty-margined flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The rusty-margined flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous vanga</span> Species of bird

The rufous vanga is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is monotypic within the genus Schetba. It is endemic to Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulvous-crested tanager</span> Species of bird

The fulvous-crested tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted tanager</span> Species of bird

The spotted tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malagasy paradise flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The Malagasy paradise flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, and Mayotte. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hook-billed vanga</span> Species of bird

The hook-billed vanga is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Réunion olive white-eye</span> Species of bird

The Réunion olive white-eye is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is found on Réunion. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2018). "Zosterops maderaspatanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T103889860A132202073. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T103889860A132202073.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 3. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. pp. 498–500, Plate 28 fig 2. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.
  3. 1 2 Allen, J.A. (1910). "Collation of Brisson's genera of birds with those of Linnaeus". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 28: 317–335. hdl:2246/678.
  4. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl (1766). Systema naturae : per regna tria natura, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (12th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 334.
  5. ↑ Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Vigors, Nicholas Aylward; Horsfield, Thomas (1827). "Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society; with an attempt at arranging them according to their natural affinities". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (in English and Latin). 15 (1): 170-334 [234]. The title page is dated 1826.
  7. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Sylviid babblers, parrotbills, white-eyes". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 Adrian Skerrett; Tony Disley (2016). Birds of Seychelles. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 140. ISBN   978-1-4729-4601-0.
  9. 1 2 3 Roger Safford; Frank Hawkins (2013). The Birds of Africa: Volume VIII: The Malagasy Region: Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Mascarenes. A&C Black. p. 798. ISBN   978-0-7136-6532-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.