Yap White-eye
Zosterops oleagineus
Handsome and unique white-eye, endemic to the island of Yap, in Micronesia’s western Caroline Islands. Dark olive-brown in color, with a flashing bright white eye-ring and orange legs and feet. Inhabits a range of wooded habitats on Yap, from remaining native rainforest to mangroves and forest edge. Averages less common than the Plain White-eye with which it shares the island, and tends to forage in smaller groups, or in pairs. Gives a somewhat bulbul-like series of whistled notes: “wi’di-deer-di-deer.”
Identification
Yap white-eye can refer to either of the two species of white-eye found on Yap. Yap olive white-eye (Zosterops oleagineus) Plain white-eye (Zosterops hypolais)
Taxonomy
It is often placed in the genus Rukia with the teardrop and long-billed white-eyes and is most similar in plumage to the former.
- Scientific name
- Zosterops oleagineus
- Authority
- Hartlaub & Finsch, 1872
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Zosteropidae
- Genus
- Zosterops
Range and habitat
It is endemic to the Micronesian island of Yap. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland and mangrove forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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