Family White-eyes and Yuhinas (Zosteropidae)
Least Concern
Black-fronted White-eye (Zosterops chrysolaemus)
Taxonomy
French: Zostérops de Salvadori German: Neuguineabrillenvogel Spanish: Anteojitos carinegro
Taxonomy:
Zosterops chrysolaema
Salvadori
, 1876,Monte Arfak
.
Subspecies and Distribution
Z. c. chrysolaemus
Salvadori, 1876 – mountains of Vogelkop (Tamrau Mts, Arfak Mts, Fakfak Mts), S watershed of New Guinea, and Herzog Mts E to Hydrographer Range.
Z. c. gregarius
Mayr, 1933 – NE New Guinea (Huon Peninsula).
Z. c. delicatulus
Sharpe, 1882 – S slopes of mountains of SE New Guinea (E to Milne Bay), and D’Entrecasteaux Is (Goodenough I, Fergusson I).
Descriptive notes
11 cm; 11–12 g. Adult nominate race has lower forehead and lores black, broad white eyering; upper forehead and crown to sides of neck, hindneck and upperparts green,... read more
Voice
Not well known. Gives distinctive loud warbling twitter of 4–5 (sometimes up to 12) notes on... read more
Habitat
Hill forest and forest edge, locally town gardens (Wau); almost exclusively in mountains, at 500–... read more
Food and feeding
Insects and fruits; latter include berries and arillate fruits, of various figs (Ficus), Schefflera, Polyscias... read more
Breeding
“Breeding individuals” in Oct and Nov, and laying females in E Huon Peninsula in late Dec and early Jan. No other information.
Movements
Little known. Probably resident.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common. Population size not known, and population trends uncertain as impacts of habitat modification on this species are poorly... read more
Hitherto treated as part of Z. atrifrons or Z. minor; differs from latter in characters given under that species. Proposed race tenuifrons (from Wau, in Morobe district of E New Guinea) synonymized with chrysolaemus; and pallidogularis (from Fergusson I, in D’Entrecasteaux Is) considered indistinguishable from delicatulus. Three subspecies recognized.