Swinhoe's White-eye

Zosterops simplex

A small yellow-olive warbler-like bird with a prominent white eyering. Occurs in forests, shrublands, parks, gardens, farmlands, and urban areas, where it actively forages for fruit, insects, and nectar from the understory to the top of the forest canopy. Song and calls are high-pitched twitters. Can be easily confused with other species of white-eye throughout its wide range, especially Indian White-eye; note contrast of lemon-yellow throat and more olive-suffused upperparts.

Taxonomy

Swinhoe's white-eye was formally described in 1861 by the English naturalist Robert Swinhoe and given the binomial name Zosterops simplex. The genus Zosterops had been introduced by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek words zōstēros meaning "belt" or "girdle" and ōpos meaning "eye". The specific epithet simplex is Latin meaning "simple" or "plain".<p>This species was formerly treated as a subspecies group of the Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) but based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018, it was promoted to species rank.<p>Five subspecies are recognised:

Scientific name
Zosterops simplex
Authority
Swinhoe, 1861
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Zosteropidae
Genus
Zosterops

Range and habitat

Breeding range
OR : e China, Taiwan and n Vietnam to Thai-Malay Pen. to Sumatra and Borneo
Non-breeding range
to c Indochina

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Delicate Prinia

Delicate Prinia

Prinia lepida

Tiny, disproportionately long-tailed, active, and vocal. The upperparts are gray-brown with heavy dark streaking, the underparts are pale, and each tail feather shows both pale and dark tips. Generally found in rather moist habitats within arid zones, including field margins, riparian woodland, scrub, gardens, and wetlands; can be quite numerous. Very vocal, especially in spring. The song is a rattling series of dry chirps, subtly different from the slower-paced song of Graceful Prinia. Males often sing from obvious perches. Visually extremely similar to Graceful Prinia, but there is little overlap in range. In any areas of overlap, best separated by song, but Delicate is also slightly longer- and narrower-tailed and browner.

Crested Caracara

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Large, long-legged raptor of open habitats. Often walks on the ground or perches conspicuously on a fence post or telephone pole. Note dark cap, pale neck, and dark body. Face color varies from orange-red to pale pink, contrasting with pale grayish bill. In flight, look for conspicuous white flashes in wings and tail. Feeds mainly on lizards and snakes. Widespread from the southern U.S. to the southern tip of South America, typically in open fields, deserts, or beaches. Formerly considered two species, Crested and Southern Caracara.

African Gray Flycatcher

African Gray Flycatcher

Bradornis microrhynchus

A very plain gray-brown flycatcher of dry country. Note the distinct dark streaks on the crown and the dirty grayish underparts. Found in dry savanna and woodland habitats, usually in pairs or small groups, often sitting on open perches. Very similar to Pale Flycatcher, but found in drier habitat, and distinguished by the streaked crown and darker underparts. Similar to Spotted Flycatcher, but lacks streaking on the breast. Distinguished from all other flycatchers by the crown streaking. Gives quiet scratchy vocalizations. 

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