Oriental White-eye

Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus was seen regularly on this trip with more than thirty sightings in both Khao Yai and Doi Inthanon National Parks. It is a widespread species with a breeding and resident range of about nineteen million square kilometres including much of the Indian Subcontinent and south-east Asia.

There are a number of races of this species the main difference between them appears to be the amount of yellow on the lower breast and belly. The birds in this photo appear to have a small yellow ventral stripe but it is not easy to see as the photo was taken in low light in the early morning. Some eleven subspecies are recognised and the populations in southern Myanmar, Thailand and Laos are placed in Z. p. siamensis. This subspecies has a yellowish-white ventral stripe and a yellow forehead which is consistent with the photo.

Oriental White-eye is an arboreal species and is normally seen in large flocks outside the breeding season. The birds forage among flowers and foliage for insects and seeds being incredibly agile and often hanging upside down. They have a wide range of habitats including broad leaved forests, gardens and orchards.

References: BirdLife; Wikipedia; Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1998) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, page 709, Christopher Helm (Publishers) Ltd.