Yellow-spectacled White-eye Heleia wallacei Scientific name definitions

11·5 cm; male 11·1 g, female 10·6 g. Distinctive. Has orange-yellow forehead, traces of yellow supercilium; otherwise olive-green with brownish-yellow wash above, crown and nape more yellowish, more yellow on ear-coverts; yellow eyering, black spot in front of eye, anterior part of lores yellow; remiges and rectrices blackish-brown with broad greenish margins; chin, throat, upper breast and undertail-coverts yellow, remainder of underparts pure grey, with white longitudinal streak over belly; iris dark brown; bill dark greyish; legs greyish-blue. Distinguished from similar Zosterops japonicus and Zosterops citrinella mainly by yellow (not white) eyering, from Zosterops palpebrosus and Zosterops chloris also by lack of yellow on belly. Sexes alike. Juvenile has pale brown iris.

Lesser Sunda Is: Sumbawa, Moyo, Komodo, Rinca, Sumba, Flores, Besar, Solor (2 Schellekens, M., Trainor, C.R. and Duhan, G.U.U.B. (2011). New and significant bird records for Solor, Adonara, and Lembata (Lomblen) islands, Lesser Sundas. Kukila 15: 31–49. Close ), Adonara, Lembata (3 Trainor, C.R. (2002). Status and habitat associations of birds on Lembata island, Wallacea, Indonesia, with reference to a simple technique for avifaunal survey on small islands. Bird Conserv. Int. 12(4): 365–381. Close ).

Coastal savanna habitats, including cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and coffee plantations, under Duabanga forest, also dry scrub, low bushes, semi-open shrub country, light monsoon forest, forest edge, thickets of Siam weed (Chromalaena odorata), secondary growth, primary and secondary forest, heavily degraded forest, woodland, bamboo thickets, vine forest and lightly wooded cultivation; also tolerant of very dry habitat, and occurs in scrub away from main blocks of forest; on Adonara I, found in coconut plantations but unrecorded from closed-canopy forest. Sea-level to 800 m, locally to 1050 m. Sympatric with Zosterops citrinella on Sumba and with Zosterops chloris on Flores.

Not known.

No details of diet. Visits fruiting and flowering trees and vines, mainly middle to upper tree levels, usually in outer foliage. Singly, in pairs and in flocks of 10–15 individuals, and sometimes up to 20 or more; sometimes in mixed-species foraging flocks with Old World flycatchers (Muscicapidae), monarch-flycatchers (Monarchidae), Sumba Myzomela (Myzomela dammermani) and Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis). Utilizes very similar habitats to those exploited by Zosterops chloris, but rarely mixes in flocks with latter species.

Song on Komodo a rapid series of 12 warbled notes starting with 2 short unmusical notes, then a single upslurred loud whistle and a jumble of fairly high-pitched sweet notes, the whole 3 seconds in duration; on Sumba a descending, tinkling warble, sometimes beginning with harsh notes; on Flores 2 indistinct short insect-like notes followed immediately by sweet warbled series of 10–14 rapidly ascending and descending notes, duration of whole 3·4 seconds. Contact call on Sumba a plaintive “chiuw”, also churring notes when agitated; also dreary whistled notes on Flores.

Season Apr–Oct (peak Apr/May–Jul) on Flores. Eggs very pale blue, with numerous very small brown spots mostly concentrated near blunt end, 17·3 × 12·6 mm. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Northern Nusa Tenggara EBA and in Sumba EBA. Generally common on larger islands of range (Sumbawa, Sumba and Flores); moderately common on Komodo and abundant on Besar; uncommon on Moyo. Population on Sumba estimated as exceeding 400,000 individuals. As a result of its preference for forest edge, dry forest and degraded habitat, present species is believed not to be at any immediate risk.