Gray-eyed bird
| Gray-eyed bird | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Zosterops grayi | ||||||||||||
| Wallace , 1864 |
The gray-eyed bird ( Zosterops grayi ) is a species of bird from the spectacled family . It is endemic to the to the Kai Islands belonging island Kai Besar in the eastern Banda Sea .
features
The gray-eyed bird reaches a length of 13 centimeters. The front head is yellowish. The wide, white eye ring is interrupted at the front by a black spot. The back of the skull is dark brown, the rest of the crown and the top are bright yellowish olive green. The hand wings and tail feathers are black-brown with wide citrine-yellow edges. The throat, the upper chest and the under tail covers are chrome-lemon yellow. The upper chest shows a slightly greenish tinge. The yellowing of the throat and rump contrasts with a satin white belly. The iris is chocolate brown. The beak is black with a greyish base of the mandible. The legs are yellowish-lead or grayish. The sexes look the same. The young birds have not yet been described.
The singing consists of a series of high-pitched, squeaky, cackling tones, which are interrupted by three short, high-pitched tones and repeated in quick succession. The call is a series of quick, unmusical, squeaky chattering sounds, some of which have a somewhat bubbly quality. Furthermore, “pipip” or “trrr” tones can be heard, which are reminiscent of the call of the Ganges spectacle bird ( Zosterops palpebrosus ).
habitat
The gray-eyed bird lives in primary and secondary forests, open woodland and gardens from sea level to altitudes of 610 meters.
Way of life
His way of life is little described. It can usually be seen in pairs, occasionally singly or in mixed flocks of birds. When looking for food, it hops slowly from branch to branch in the middle tier of the trees between two and ten meters above the ground. No information is available on reproduction.
Existence and endangerment
The gray-eyed bird has a very small distribution area and is on the IUCN's warning list ( near threatened ) due to habitat loss . It is moderately abundant in all of the wooded areas on Besar Kai. The islands of the Banda Sea, to which the Kai Islands belong, are designated by BirdLife International as an Endemic Bird Area .
literature
- Joseph Del Hoyo, Andrew Elliot, David A. Christie (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-Tits to Shrikes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2008, ISBN 978-84-96553-45-3 .
Web link
- Zosterops grayi inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.