Sri Lanka White-eye
Encyclopedia
The 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.
(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.
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.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the white-eye
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...
family. It is a resident breeder in forests, gardens and plantations which is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, mainly in the highlands.
Description
This bird is slightly larger than the Oriental White-eyeOriental White-eye
The Oriental White-eye, Zosterops palpebrosus, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is a resident breeder in open woodland in tropical Asia east from India to China and Indonesia. They forage in small groups, feeding on nectar and small insects. They are easily identified by the...
(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
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
. The legs are dark. The iris is yellow to reddish-brown.
This species can be distinguished from the widespread Oriental White-eye
Oriental White-eye
The Oriental White-eye, Zosterops palpebrosus, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is a resident breeder in open woodland in tropical Asia east from India to China and Indonesia. They forage in small groups, feeding on nectar and small insects. They are easily identified by the...
, 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
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for girdle-eye.