Tagula White-eye

Zosterops meeki

A very little-known, small bird of foothill forest canopy and edge on Tagula Island where the only white-eye. Olive-green upperparts with yellow-green rump, blackish face and tail. White underparts from the throat to the belly and yellow under the base of the tail. Note the broad white eye-ring, broken at the front. Voice, gives a typical white-eye “peer” call. Apparently not seen in recent years.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Zosterops meeki
Authority
Hartert, EJO, 1898
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Zosteropidae
Genus
Zosterops

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Black Tinamou

Black Tinamou

Tinamus osgoodi

Large, rare tinamou found in cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes. It is uniformly sooty gray, much darker and plainer than Gray Tinamou. Rusty lower underparts are hard to see in the field. Like other forest tinamous, it is far more likely to be heard than seen. Vocalizations include a low, drawn out coo, like a dove’s but longer, and a series of low, modulated whistles.

Spotted Owl

Spotted Owl

Strix occidentalis

Medium-sized owl typically found in mountainous regions with mixed conifers and oaks. Overall brown with bold white spots on belly and back. Black eyes, unlike most other owls; main confusion species is Barred Owl. Spotted is well-named, with much more obvious spots on chest and belly than Barred Owl, and lacks distinct vertical stripes. Also note voice: one hoot, followed by a pair of hoots, followed by a final single hoot. Two separate populations: birds along the Pacific coast and the Sierra Nevada average darker, richer brown than birds further south and inland.

Speckle-faced Parrot

Speckle-faced Parrot

Pionus tumultuosus

A fairly scarce but widespread Andean parrot, occurring from western Venezuela to Bolivia. This parrot has a plain green body with red undertail coverts and yellowish bill. Head color varies from slaty blue to bright pinkish-maroon with variable amounts of white speckling, sometimes looking like it was dusted with thick snow. Pairs or small flocks occur in montane forest, typically from around 2,000 m up to treeline. This is higher on average than other montane Pionus parrots like Red-billed, although there is some overlap. Often seen flying overhead, where the deep wingbeats eliminate other genera of parrots (like Scaly-naped Parrot, which has shallower wingbeats typical of Amazona parrots).

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