Réunion grey white-eye

The Réunion grey white-eye (Zosterops borbonicus) is a small passerine from the family Zosteropidae,[1] which is native to the islands of Réunion.[2]

Réunion grey white-eye
On the slopes of La Roche Écrite
Brown morph at Plaine des Chicots
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Zosteropidae
Genus: Zosterops
Species:
Z. borbonicus
Binomial name
Zosterops borbonicus
(Pennant, 1781)
Range highlighted in green

Taxonomy

The taxon mauritianus, by most authorities previously considered a subspecies, is now usually considered a separate monotypic species, the Mauritius grey white-eye, (Zosterops mauritianus). Together, both species were called Mascarene white-eye.[3]

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.

Description

It has a length of 9.5 cm. Its plumage exhibits colour morphs which vary from gray to brown. The tail coverts are conspicuously white, unlike those of the Réunion olive white-eye. The rest of the body plumage is variable in hue, though invariably lighter than that of the previous species.[4] It is typically blue-grey with a brownish wash to the mantle, and distinctly rufous-brown flanks. It has chestnut-coloured eyes with a very indistinct eye-ring, as opposed to that of the Réunion olive white-eye. In both species the breast and flank feathers create a white "epaulette" effect.[4]

Biology

It inhabits woodlands, forests, and gardens. It is the only endemic bird from Réunion 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.

References
  1. del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2008). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-84-96553-45-3
  2. Gill F. and Donsker D. (eds), Family Zosteropidae, in IOC World Bird Names (ver 6.2), International Ornithologists’ Union, 2016. URL
  3. Otto Finsch: Zosteropidae (Volume 15), 1901.
  4. Sinclair, Ian; Langrand, Olivier (1998). Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. pp. 150–151. ISBN 1-86872-035-7.

Bibliography
  • France Staub: Birds of the Mascarenes and Saint Brandon. LABAMA HOUSE, Port Louis, Mauritius, 1976.
  • France Staub: Fauna of Mauritius and associated flora. Précigraph Limited, Port Louis, Mauritius, 1993.
  • Claire Micheneau, Jacques Fournel & Thierry Pailler: Bird Pollination in an Angraecoid Orchid on Reunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago, Indian Ocean). Annals of Botany 97: S. 965–974, 2006 doi:10.1093/aob/mcl056 PDF fulltext
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