Hume’s White-eye

Order - Passeriformes
Family - Zosteropidae (White-eyes)

Hume’s White-eye

Zosterops auriventer

休氏绣眼鸟 (xiū shì xiù-yǎn-niǎo)

    Malay : Kelicap-Kacamata Rimba Melayu

    Japanese : キムネメジロ (ki-mune me-jiro)

    Kanji 日語漢字 : 黄胸目白

    Extent of Occurrence (resident/breeding) : 3,960,000km²
    Migratory Status : Not a Migrant
    Breeding Endemic : No

    Size : 9.5–12 cm, 7.8–9.7 g

    

    Subspecies (4) and Distribution

• Zosterops  auriventer wetmorei (Deignan, 1943, Chong, near Trang)
  – Southwestern and eastern Thailand, as well as adjacent parts in Cambodia, south to Trang province. Perhaps also south Myanmar.
  
  • Identification :
    – Very similar to Z. a. auriventer which has a marginally shorter bill and slightly different wing formula. May represent geographic variations of that subspecies.
• Zosterops auriventer tahanensis (Ogilvie-Grant, 1906, Gunong Tahan, Malay Peninsula)
  – Extreme southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. Possibly also highlands of Sumatra as listed by Stresemann based on a specimen which was later, possibly incorrectly, re-identified by Deignan as the taxon buxtoni (now known as Sangkar White-eye Z. melanurus buxtoni).
  
  • Identification :
    – Like Z. e. wetmorei, but bill slightly smaller and flanks darker gray.
• Zosterops auriventer medius (Robinson and Kloss, 1923,Gunong Sidong, southwestern Sarawak)
  – Borneo.
  
  • Identification :
    – Slightly smaller than Z. a. tahanensis. Often subsumed within Z. e. tahanensis.
• Zosterops auriventer auriventer (A. O. Hume, 1878, Tavoy, Tenasserim)
  – Poorly known; documented only from south Tenasserim, Myanmar.
• Identification :
  – Characterized by the broad yellow median ventral stripe connecting with the bright yellow undertail coverts. Flanks and rest of underparts medium gray. Eye-ring relatively broad and broken at front; eyelid rims and lores black. Upperparts olive green, with slightly yellower rump and uppertail coverts. Flight-feathers edged bright yellow green.

Distribution Map

Zosterops auriventer ssp. tahanensis
Date : 03 February 2018

Location : Hutan Lipur Sungai Sedim, Mukim Karangan, Daerah Kulim, Kedah

Zosterops auriventer ssp. tahanensis
Date : 17 January 2016

Location : Taman TAR, Ampang, Daerah Hulu Langat, Selangor

Here’s the formal list of the new species, with subspecies and ranges; the subspecies with an asterisk have undergone a name change because of reorganization under a different species; all the below species are reconstituted, but the ones that have a change to the English name associated with the scientific name have two asterisks

††Indian White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus

• Zosterops palpebrosus occidentis northeastern Afghanistan east to western Himalayas, and northern and central India
• Zosterops palpebrosus palpebrosus central and eastern Himalayas east to southern China (Sichuan, Yunnan) and Myanmar; isolated populations on Mahawt Island, Oman, and in southern Iran have been assigned to nominate palpebralis, although this requires confirmation
• Zosterops palpebrosus nilgiriensis western India (Western Ghats); most populations elsewhere in southern peninsular India are more or less similar
• Zosterops palpebrosus salimalii SE India (se Hyderabad)
• Zosterops palpebrosus egregius Sri Lanka
• Zosterops palpebrosus siamensis southern Myanmar east through Indochina
• Zosterops palpebrosus nicobaricus Andaman and Nicobar islands

†Hume’s White-eye Zosterops auriventer

• *Zosterops auriventer auriventer poorly known; documented only from southeastern Myanmar
• *Zosterops auriventer tahanensis southern Thai-Malay Peninsula
• *Zosterops auriventer wetmorei southern Thailand and the northern Thai-Malay Peninsula
• *Zosterops auriventer medius Borneo

†Sangkar White-eye Zosterops melanurus

• *Zosterops melanurus buxtoni western Java; a population on Sumatra also has been assigned to buxtoni, but the identification of Sumatran birds as buxtoni has been questioned
• *Zosterops melanurus melanurus Mts. of central and e Java and Bali

††Warbling White-eye Zosterops japonicus

• Zosterops japonicus japonicus southern Sakhalin Island, Japan, and the southern Korean Peninsula; partially migratory, withdrawing from Sakhalin Island and northern Japan in the nonbreeding season
• Zosterops japonicus stejnegeri Izu Is. (s Japan); introduced to Bonin Is.
• Zosterops japonicus insularis Ryukyu Is. (Tanegashima and Yakushima)
• Zosterops japonicus loochooensis Iriomote (Ryukyu Is.)
• Zosterops japonicus alani Volcano Is. (Iwo Jima and Minami-iwo-Jima)
• *Zosterops japonicus daitoensis Daito Is. (Philippine Sea)
• *Zosterops japonicus obstinatus Moluccas (Ternate, Bacan and Seram)
• *Zosterops japonicus montanus central Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Sula Is., Buru, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Timor
• Zosterops japonicus difficilis S Sumatra
• *Zosterops japonicus parkesi SW Philippines (Palawan)
• *Zosterops japonicus whiteheadi N Philippines (n Luzon)
• *Zosterops japonicus diuatae S Philippines (n Mindanao)
• *Zosterops japonicus vulcani S Philippines (Mt. Apo and Mt. Katanglad on Mindanao)
• *Zosterops japonicus pectoralis Philippines (n Negros)
• *Zosterops japonicus halconensis Philippines (Mindoro)

††Swinhoe’s White-eye Zosterops simplex

• *Zosterops simplex simplex breeds in eastern China (from extreme southern Gansu east to Jiangsu, south to eastern Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Fujian), Taiwan, and northeastern Vietnam; northern populations migratory, wintering from southeastern China to Thailand and central Indochina
• *Zosterops simplex hainanus Hainan (s China)
• *Zosterops simplex williamsoni southern Thailand and east coast of northern and central Thai-Malay Peninsula
• *Zosterops simplex erwini coastal forests of the western and southeastern Thai-Malay Peninsula, of Sumatra, the Riau Islands, Bangka, and the Natuna Islands; population of coastal western Borneo provisionally assigned here, but possibly a distinct taxon
• *Zosterops simplex salvadorii Enggano and Mega islands (off w Sumatra)

Lowland White-eye Zosterops meyeni

• Zosterops meyeni batanis Lüdao (Green) and Lanyu (Orchid) Islands (southeast of Taiwan) and Batan islands (Philippines, north of Luzon)
• Zosterops meyeni meyeni Philippines (Calayan, Luzon, Lubang, Verde, Marinduque, Banton, and Caluya)

Everett’s White-eye Zosterops everetti

• Zosterops everetti everetti Philippines (Cebu)
• Zosterops everetti basilanicus Philippines (Basilan, Dinagat, Mindanao, Siargao, Camiguin Sur)
• Zosterops everetti boholensis Philippines (Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Calicoan and Biliran)
• Zosterops everetti siquijorensis Philippines (Siquijor)
• Zosterops everetti mandibularis Sulu Archipelago (Sulu, Tawitawi, Jolo, Bongao, Sanga Sanga)
• Zosterops everetti babelo Talaud Is. (Karakelong and Salebabu) and n Sulawesi

Ashy-bellied White-eye Zosterops citrinella

• *Zosterops citrinella unicus W Lesser Sundas (Sumbawa and Flores)
• Zosterops citrinella citrinella Lesser Sundas (Timor, Rote, Sawu and Sumba)
• Zosterops citrinella albiventris Tanimbar Is. and islands off n Queensland south to Lizard I.
• Zosterops citrinella harterti Alor (e Lesser Sundas)

Indian/Swinhoe’s White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus/simplex

Hume’s/Swinhoe’s White-eye Zosterops auriventer/simplex

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YOUR LIFE LIST’s EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In one more attempt to help this all make sense, or for those who don’t like cooking, below is a chart of how your records may have changed by country:

• If you had reported Japanese White-eye (Z. japonicus) from Russia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, or Hawaii, USA, those records will now show as Warbling White-eye Zosterops japonicus
• If you had reported Japanese White-eye (Z. japonicus) from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, or Thailand, or introduced populations from California, USA* or Singapore, those records will now show as Swinhoe’s White-eye Zosterops simplex [* note – California records from San Diego County from prior to 2006 pertain to Indian White-eye Z. palpebrosus).
• If you had reported Mountain White-eye (Z. montanus) from anywhere, it will now show as Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)
• If you had reported Oriental White-eye (Z. palpebrosus) from anywhere west of Thailand (e.g., India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh etc.) those will now appear as Indian White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus.
• If you had seen Oriental White-eyes (Z. palpebrosus) in mangrove or coastal habitat in s. Thailand, s. Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, or on Borneo, those will now appear as Swinhoe’s White-eyes Zosterops simplex. Note that these birds have a yellow ventral stripe, while inland, migratory Swinhoe’s do not.
• If you had Oriental White-eye from Java, Sumatra (inland areas, not coastal ones), or Bali, then those are now Sangkar White-eye Zosterops melanurus melanurus
• If you had reported Everett’s White-eye (Z. everetti) from either of two popular parks in Thailand–Khao Yai NP or Kaeng Krachan NP–these will now appear as Hume’s White-eye Zosterops auriventer, as will any others from peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, or Borneo. Please note also that many observers also seem to have reported Oriental White-eye Z. palpebrosus from those areas; it was only recently discovered (in 2004, see the paper here) that subspecies wetmorei was the predominant white-eye in Khao Yai (other than Chestnut-flanked) and no other similar species have been found in either area before or since. Because of this, we have converted all reports of Oriental White-eye to Hume’s White-eye from those areas as well.
• If you had any of the following:
• Any Oriental White-eyes from Sumbawa and Flores in the Lesser Sundas, this would be subspecies unicus, which is now moved to Ashy-bellied White-eye Zosterops citrinella
• Any sightings of Enggano White-eye (Z. salvadorii) then these are now Swinhoe’s White-eye Zosterops simplex.
• Mountain White-eye from Marinduque (Phillippines), then these are subspecies gilli which is now Lowland White-eye Zosterops meyeni