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Oriental White-eye

Conservation status

Least Concern

Population Trend

Decreasing

Alternate Names

-

Native Habitat

Scrubland

Diet

Insects, Nectar, Fruits

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Oriental White-eye

Zosterops palpebrosus

The Oriental White-eye is a small perching 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 distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upperparts. Several populations of this widespread species are named subspecies and some have distinctive variations in the extent and shades of yellows in their plumage.

This bird is 9 cm long with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring, yellow throat and vent. The belly is whitish grey but may have yellow in some subspecies. Male and Female look similar.

Races of the Western Himalayas has the upper side dark green and the flanks are tinged in brown. In Sri Lanka, it is smaller and has a brighter back and throat.

Regional Names
  • Gujarati:
    શ્વેતનયના, બબુના
  • Hindi:
    बबूना
  • Kannada:
    ಬೆಳ್ಗಣ್ಣ
  • Malayalam:
    വെള്ളക്കണ്ണിക്കുരുവി
  • Marathi:
    चश्मेवाला, चाळीशीवाला
  • Nepali:
    कांकीर
  • Sanskrit:
    चटकिका
  • Tamil:
    வெள்ளைக் கண்ணி
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Taxanomy

PASSERIFORMES
ZOSTEROPIDAE
Zosterops palpebrosus