Flores White-eye Heleia crassirostris Scientific name definitions

13·5 cm. Has creamy-white forehead , black forecrown with creamy-white feather edges, black on lores and broad region below eye (forming blackish face mask), eyering consisting of tiny black feathers implanted on rim of eye, black ear-coverts; bare area below blackish, above and particularly behind eye; hindcrown and upperparts dark olive brown; plain underparts whitish-buff with very pale yellow tinge; iris brown-white to yellow; bill pale grey; legs reddish-grey. Differs clearly from H. muelleri in plumage pattern and in heavier bill. Sexes alike. Juvenile has uniformly buff forehead and crown.

Sumbawa and Flores (Lesser Sunda Is).

Mainly primary and degraded semi-evergreen rainforest and moist deciduous monsoon forest; also degraded forest edge, dry forest and Eupatorium scrub. Wide altitudinal range, 50–2000 m.

Not known.

No details of diet. Usually in groups of up to five individuals, also singly and in pairs; often in mixed-species flocks. Forages in understorey and lower middle storey. Gleans along slender branches and fine twigs.

Song  a very rapid series of loudly whistled  , almost trilled notes on even pitch, repeated at c. 4 notes per second, each bout lasting c. 6 seconds, more like song of a whistler (Pachycephala) than of a white-eye; described also as a mellow, melancholy whistle interspersed with single trilled notes, each phrase starting hesitantly, working up to trill at end; longer phrases have several trills separated by longer whistles, with abrupt changes in pitch. Contact call a quiet, deep, unobtrusive “chup…chup…”.

Adults with brood patch and carrying nesting material in early Aug on Sumbawa; season Mar–Oct (peak Apr–Jun) on Flores. Clutch 1–4 eggs, normally 2 or 3, usually white, occasionally pale blue, 19·1 × 13·9 mm. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Northern Nusa Tenggara EBA. Generally uncommon to rare; locally moderately common. Occurs in very low densities. Moderate tolerance of degraded and dry forest indicate that it is presently not at any immediate risk; because of great pressure from small-scale agriculture on forests in lower half of its altitudinal range, this species should be closely monitored.