Principe Speirops Zosterops leucophaeus Scientific name definitions

12·5–14 cm; two specimens 14·7 g and 14·9 g. Has pale grey forehead , crown and nape, dark grey lores , very narrow white eyering, whitish cheek and ear-coverts , dark grey upperparts (considerable variation in amount and shade of grey in all these areas); flight-feathers dark brown, ­secondaries and tertials narrowly fringed olive-grey, tail dark brown; pale grey to greyish-white below , underside of flight-feathers shiny dark grey with whitish inner edges, underwing-coverts greyish-white; iris golden-brown; bill dark grey above, whitish below; legs pearl-grey, soles yellow. Sexes alike. Juvenile undes­cribed.

Príncipe I, in Gulf of Guinea.

Primary forest, but more commonly in forest regrowth, trees and bushes in farmland, and cocoa and coffee plantations shaded by large Erythrina trees. Lowlands.

Not known.

Insects, spiders (Araneae), berries, possibly nectar and other vegetable matter. In pairs, and in parties of up to 15 individuals, keeping together closely. Forages mostly in middle strata of vegetation at c. 8 m, also in undergrowth and canopy; restless and mobile, moving among leaves and foliage. Gleans leaves and other twigs in manner of a tit (Paridae).

Possible song a repeated series of rattling, tuneless notes, or perhaps fast, sibilant “whee-tsiu-tsiu-tseeu” and “tsee-tsitsiuu” or “tsiupti-ti-tiu”. Calls inlude various high-pitched trills  , rattles and single notes, e.g. a soft “rrrrrrr”, a short “tiup tup”, also “tuctuctuctuctuctuc” flight call.

Mainly Jun–Jul (hatching), but records also of nest-building in Jan and laying in Sept. Nest a delicate lossely woven open cup 9 cm across and 6 cm deep, made from fine grasses and fine twigs or petioles, or dry twigs and moss, attached with moth-cocoon silk to twigs. Clutch 2 eggs, white, 19 × 16 mm. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Príncipe EBA. Frequent to common but somewhat local. In 1970s was still abundant at all altitudes, but may have declined since; evidence of local persecution and of a possible decline as a result of plantation development and pesticide use was found during a survey in 1987. Can still be found in groups of up to 15 birds in forest regrowth and cocoa plantations.