Mauritius Grey White-eye

By Charlie • November 27, 2005 • No comments yet

Mauritius Grey White-eye Zosterops mauritianus
Black River Gorges National Park, Mauritius

The Mauritius Grey White-eye Zosterops mauritianus is the only one of Mauritius’s remaining endemics that can be found throughout the island, as it has adapted to secondary habitats and gardens - unlike the forest-dependent species such as Pink Pigeon and Echo Parakeet that have declined so catastrophically since the island was colonised by Europeans.

Like most white-eyes I usually saw the birds in small flocks (actually “noisy gangs” was the impression I came away with), calling continuously to each other as they moved through all strata of the habitat - from canopy almost to floor-level. Behaviourally in some respects they reminded me of Australian thornbills, or even North American Bushtits.

Though - as far as I can tell - always included in Zosterops, the species is a morphologically “odd” white-eye (at least in my experience of Asian and mainland African species). Apart from not actually showing a “white-eye”, they have unusually thin bills, and startingly bright white rump feathers and undertail coverts which the birds raise and flash, tail-cocked like a Winter Wren, when alarmed. The images below show two different birds - the first in bright sunlight feeding in typical fashion, the second taken in shaded forest conditions (hence the different tones to the plumage) when it responded to “pishing”.

This is the first time that I’ve seen the species, but I was really struck by just how “warbler”-like this odd white-eye appeared at times - particularly of course when alarmed. White-eyes have evolved into a remarkable number of endemic island forms, and I’d be very interested to hear from anyone* with knowledge of online papers that look at the taxonomy of this and the very closely related Reunion White-eye.

All photographs © Charlie Moores

* Many thanks to Richard Allen for providing the following quotation:

ZOSTEROPS SENEGALENSIS SPECIES-GROUP

“Most of the African islands (though not Zanzibar or Mafia) contain one or
more of the Zosteropidae. In the Indian Ocean birds similar to lowland
’senegalensis’ in size and in the colour of the backs are found on
Madagasscar and some neighbouring islets, on Marianne Island in the
Seychelles and on Pemba Island. Among these different species have been
recognised (rather questionably) on the colour of the underparts, only the
birds with yellow bellies on Grand Comoro and Pemba Island being regarded
on these grounds asa possibly conspecific with rufous flanks (’Z.
mayottensis’). On the remaining islands the birds have greyish underparts
(’Z. madarwaspatensis’) rather like those of some populations of ‘pallida’
and, to a lesser degree, ‘palpebrosa’ in India. Grand Comoro is alone in
this part of the world in holding a second species of Zosterops, a larger
and greener bird, ‘mouroniensis’. restricted to the heath above 5,500 ft.

The aberrant ‘Zosterops’ of Reunion and Mauritius, and perhaps also the
dull coloured one of Mahe (Seychelles) have diverged too far to be included
in this species-group.”

- Hall, B.P. & R.E. Moreau. 1970 An Atlas of Speciation in African
Passerine Birds. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London.
Pp 262 - 263 Map 306. Zosterops Senegalensis Species-Group - White-eyes.

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About the Author

Charlie

Charlie works for an airline and has birded all over the world for twenty years. He wants to be a writer, and thinks no-one would believe his life could be so charmed if he didn't take photos of as many of the birds he sees as possible. Blogging with 10,000 Birds fits his aims, needs, and insecurities perfectly. Really - do birders get much more fortunate than this?

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