Seram white-eye | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Zosteropidae |
Genus: | Zosterops |
Species: | Z. stalkeri |
Binomial name | |
Zosterops stalkeri Ogilvie-Grant, 1910 | |
The Seram white-eye (Zosterops stalkeri) is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is an endemic resident breeder in open woodland in Seram, Indonesia.
It was formerly considered conspecific with black-fronted white-eye, Zosterops minor, but work by Pamela C. Rasmussen and her colleagues showed that it is a separate species. The same research also confirmed the specific status of the Sangihe white-eye, Zosterops nehrkorni.
Compared to related taxa, the bill of Seram white-eye is paler, deeper, and broader at the base. Its eye-ring is narrow and broken at the front. The crown and sides of the head are black and the upperparts are dark bronze. The rump is a distinctive yellow-bronze. The sides of the breast and flanks are greyish-white, the undertail-coverts are orange-yellow, the thighs are whitish, and the uppertail is brownish-black.
The sexes are similar, but immatures have the throat greener and more diffuse, with more black mixed into the chin feathers.
Its song also differs from that of related species.
Though mainly insectivorous, the Seram white-eye will also eat nectar and fruits of various kinds.
Zosterops is a genus of passerine birds containing the typical white-eyes in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. The genus has the largest number of species in the white-eye family. They occur in the Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian realms. Typical white-eyes have a length of between 8 and 15 cm. Their most characteristic feature is a conspicuous white feather ring around the eye, though some species lack it. The species in this group vary in the structural adaptations of the tongue. The Zosterops [griseotinctus] group is an example of a "great speciator" inhabiting a vast area and showing a remarkable morphological differentiation on islands, some of which maybe as close as 2 km (1.2 mi) apart.
The Indian white-eye, formerly the Oriental white-eye, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is a resident breeder in open woodland on the Indian subcontinent. They forage in small groups, feeding on nectar and small insects. They are easily identified by the distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upperparts. The range previously extended eastwards to Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Their name was recently changed due to previous members of Zosterops palpebrosus in Southeast Asia being renamed to a new species, making the Indian White-eye a more geographically accurate term for this species.
The Sri Lanka white-eye is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family, which is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a resident breeder in forests, gardens and plantations, mainly in the highlands.
Pamela Cecile Rasmussen is an American ornithologist and expert on Asian birds. She was formerly a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and is based at the Michigan State University. She is associated with other major centers of research in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The warbling white-eye, also known as the Japanese white-eye and mountain white-eye, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. The specific epithet is occasionally written japonica, but this is incorrect due to the gender of the genus. Its native range includes much of East Asia, including the Russian Far East, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines. It has been intentionally introduced to other parts of the world as a pet and as pest control, with mixed results. As one of the native species of the Japanese islands, it has been depicted in Japanese art on numerous occasions, and historically was kept as a cage bird.
The brush cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo family.
The Marianne white-eye, also known as Seychelles chestnut-sided white-eye or Seychelles yellow white-eye, is an extinct species of small bird in the white-eye family.
The Vanuatu white-eye or yellow-fronted white-eye is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Zosterops in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu, where it is one of the most common birds.
The rufescent darkeye, also known as the bicoloured white-eye, is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is monotypic within the genus Tephrozosterops. It is endemic to the island of Seram in Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The black-crowned white-eye is a songbird species. It is closely related to the Old World babblers, and its family Zosteropidae might better be included in the Tiimalidae. Its subspecies from the Sulawesi region might warrant recognition as distinct species Z. subatrifrons. The Sangihe white-eye and the Seram white-eye were formerly included in Z. atrifrons, as is still, on occasion, the black-fronted white-eye.
The Bismarck white-eye or black-headed white-eye is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago in Papua New Guinea, where it occurs in New Britain, New Ireland and a number of smaller islands. It is sometimes considered to be the same species as the black-fronted white-eye of the mainland of New Guinea. The species is found in forests, forest edges, secondary forest, gardens and plantations, generally in hill and mountain areas and more rarely down to sea level.
The green-fronted white-eye is a songbird species. It is closely related to the Old World babblers, and its family Zosteropidae might better be included in the Tiimalidae. Some sources include this species within Z. atrifrons, the black-crowned white-eye. The black-fronted white-eye was formerly considered a subspecies, and until it was split as a distinct species, the name "black-fronted white-eye" was also used for Z. minor.
The Sangihe white-eye is a species of bird in the white-eye family. It is endemic to Sangihe, Indonesia.
Heuglin's white-eye, also known as the Ethiopian white-eye, is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is found in north-eastern and eastern Africa, primarily in Ethiopia and Kenya. Its natural habitats range from subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, to subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, plantations, and rural gardens.
The Togian white-eye is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae.
Adolph Nehrkorn was a German ornithologist and collector of bird eggs.
The black-fronted white-eye is a songbird species. It is closely related to the Old World babblers, and its family Zosteropidae might better be included in the Tiimalidae. The black-fronted white-eye was formerly considered a subspecies of the green-fronted white-eye,, and until it was split as a distinct species, the name "black-fronted white-eye" was also used for Z. minor.