Bioko Speirops Zosterops brunneus Scientific name definitions

13–13·5 cm; 14–18·5 g. Has top of head dark brown, darkest on crown , pale narrow line at base of upper mandible, reddish tinge on nape and hindneck; cheek and ear-coverts greyish-brown; upperparts brown, less dark than crown, flight-feathers blackish-brown, edged rusty, tail feathers dark brown above and blackish below; underside brown, slightly paler than back, more greyish on chin and upper throat, and slightly paler on belly and undertail-coverts; underside of remiges dark grey-brown; iris dark; bill dark horn; legs dusky brown. Sexes alike. Juvenile undes­cribed.

Pico Basilé (Mt Malabo), on NC Bioko.

Open areas and clearings in fairly open lichen (not moss) forest, montane heathland scrub, and tree savanna; forest with Hypericum, Pittosporum, Syzygium and Schefflera. At 1900–2800 m.

Not known.

Insects, including hairless caterpillars 10–25 mm long; also berries and seeds. In groups of 3–5 individuals, sometimes up to 30 together; often in mixed flocks with Green Longtails (Urolais epichlorus), Oriole Finches (Linurgus olivaceus) and Western Mountain Greenbuls (Arizelocichla tephrolaema). Forages at 0·5–6·5 m above ground; tends to keep in moderately leafy cover, out of direct sunshine.

Birds in breeding condition in Oct and Dec. No other information.

VULNERABLE. Restricted-range species: present in Cameroon Mountains EBA. Common on higher slopes. The commonest bird species in 50-km² area of lichen forest on Mt Malabo; absent from suitable forest in S part of the island. Surveys in late 1980s and mid-1990s indicated that this species is still present in small groups and that its habitat remains largely intact. It is thought, however, that it may be threatened by fires and by extensive forest clearance.