Mascarene White-eye
Encyclopedia
The Mascarene White-eye (Zosterops borbonicus), also known as Grey White-eye, is a small passerine from the family Zosteropidae
, which is endemic to the islands of Mauritius
and Réunion
.
mauritianus, by most authorities considered a subspecies
of the Mascarene White-eye, has occasionally been considered a separate monotypic
species, the Mauritius Grey White-eye (Zosterops mauritianus), in which case the common name
of the remaining species often is modified to Réunion Grey White-eye. There is some uncertainty about the number of subspecies on Réunion, with most authorities only accepting a single, the nominate (Z. b. borbonicus), while some also accept Z. b. alopekion, and Z. b. xerophilus. When only a single Réunion subspecies is accepted, alopekion and xerophilus are considered to represent morphs
of the nominate.
(Zosterops chloronotus). It inhabits woodlands, forests, and gardens. It is the only endemic bird from Réunion and Mauritius which has adapted to man-made conditions. Its diet consists of insects, fruits and nectar. It is also the pollinator
for orchids like Angraecum striatum or the endemic Trochetia
species. It moves often in small groups from six to twenty birds in search of food. They are very noisy. The breeding period is in the southern summer. The female lays two to four pale blue eggs in a cup-shaped nest which is padded with plant material.
White-eye
White-eye can refer to:*White-eye , a large family of birds.*White-eye , a species of fish.*White-eye mutation, a mutation in Drosophila melanogaster linked to the X chromosome, found by reciprocal cross breeding experiments in 1906.*A lioness member of the Marsh Pride of lions that have featured...
, which is endemic to the islands of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
and Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
.
Taxonomy
The taxonTaxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
mauritianus, by most authorities considered a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Mascarene White-eye, has occasionally been considered a separate monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
species, the Mauritius Grey White-eye (Zosterops mauritianus), in which case the common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
of the remaining species often is modified to Réunion Grey White-eye. There is some uncertainty about the number of subspecies on Réunion, with most authorities only accepting a single, the nominate (Z. b. borbonicus), while some also accept Z. b. alopekion, and Z. b. xerophilus. When only a single Réunion subspecies is accepted, alopekion and xerophilus are considered to represent morphs
Polymorphism (biology)
Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
of the nominate.
Description
It has a length of 9.5 cm. Its plumage exhibits a colour morph which varies from gray to brown. The rump is coloured conspicuous white, the rest of the body is blue grey. The legs are nearly blackish. There is also a conspicuous ring of white feathers around the chestnut coloured eyes.Biology
In Mauritius, it shares its habitat with the Mauritius Olive White-eyeMauritius Olive White-eye
The Mauritius Olive White-eye is a very rare passerine from the family of white-eyes . It is endemic to the island of Mauritius.-Description:...
(Zosterops chloronotus). It inhabits woodlands, forests, and gardens. It is the only endemic bird from Réunion and Mauritius which has adapted to man-made conditions. Its diet consists of insects, fruits and nectar. It is also the pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
for orchids like Angraecum striatum or the endemic Trochetia
Trochetia
Trochetia is a genus of flowering plants from the family Malvaceae . They are endemic to the Mascarene Islands.The genus was first described by A.P...
species. It moves often in small groups from six to twenty birds in search of food. They are very noisy. The breeding period is in the southern summer. The female lays two to four pale blue eggs in a cup-shaped nest which is padded with plant material.
External links
- Encyclopedia Mauritiana - Grey White-eye
- Mascarene White-eye video on the Internet Bird Collection