Malagasy White-eye

Overview

The Malagasy white-eye (Zosterops maderaspatanus) is a species of bird in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae, native to Madagascar and the Seychelles. It is a lively and agile bird found in various forest environments across its range.

Identification

• A small bird approximately 10 cm in length with dark olive green upperparts, wings, and tail.
• Features a yellow throat and pale grey breast and belly.
• Possesses an incomplete white eye ring with a gap at the front of the reddish-brown eye.
• The beak has a black upper mandible and a grey lower mandible, with greyish-blue legs and feet.

Habitat

Found in Madagascar and the Seychelles, its natural habitats include subtropical or tropical dry and moist lowland forests, mangrove forests, and moist montane forests. Small groups inhabit woodland areas where they forage among branches and trees.

Diet

The diet consists mainly of invertebrates and fruits, also including nectar, pollen, flower buds, and other vegetable matter. The bird gleans insects from twigs and branches, sometimes clinging upside-down, and may hawk prey in the air or probe into inflorescences and lichens.

Did you know?

The bird is described as calling constantly to each other with a soft "pee-u" while flitting between trees. Mutual preening sometimes occurs, with two birds leaning on one another to preen around the head, face, and chin.