- Sri Lanka White-eye
-
Sri Lankan White-eye 
Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Zosteropidae Genus: Zosterops Species: Z. ceylonensis Binomial name Zosterops ceylonensis
Holdsworth, 1872The Sri Lanka White-eye, Zosterops ceylonensis, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is a resident breeder in forests, gardens and plantations which is endemic to Sri Lanka, mainly in the highlands.
Description
Comparison with Oriental White-eye (above)
This bird is slightly larger than the Oriental White-eye (about 11 cm long) which it replaces above 4000 ft. The upper parts of the body and sides of neck are dark olive green. The rump appears paler green while the crown and forehead appear darker. The wings and tail are brown edged with green on the back. The typical ring of tiny white feathers around the eye is present. The lores are dark and there is a dark streak below the eye. The chin, throat and upper breast are greenish-yellow as are the thighs and vent. The belly region is grayish white. The dark bill has a slaty base to the lower mandible. The legs are dark. The iris is yellow to reddish-brown.[2]
This species can be distinguished from the widespread Oriental White-eye, Zosterops palpebrosus, by its larger size, duller green back and more extensive yellow on the breast. It has a darker patch between the eye and the bill.
It is sociable, forming large flocks which only separate on the approach of the breeding season. It builds a tree nest and lays 3 unspotted pale blue eggs.
Though mainly insectivorous, Sri Lankan White-eye will also eat nectar and fruits of various kinds.
The English and scientific names refer to the conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eyes, Zosterops being Greek for girdle-eye.
In culture
This bird appears in a 35c Sri Lankan postal stamp.[3]
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2008). Zosterops ceylonensis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 25 August 2009.
- ^ Wait, WE (1922). "The passerine birds of Ceylon". Spolia Zeyanica 12: 182. http://www.archive.org/stream/passerinebirdsof00wait#page/182/mode/1up.
- ^ http://www.birdtheme.org/country/srilanka.html
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Zosterops
- Birds of Sri Lanka
- Animals described in 1872
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
