Thursday 25 September 2014

Black-capped white-eye

Zosterops atricapilla

Photo by Lip Kee Yap (Wikipedia)

Common name:
black-capped white-eye (en); olho-branco-de-barrete-preto (pt); zostérops à calotte noire (fr); anteojitos capirotado (es); schwarzstirn-brillenvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Zosteropidae

Range:
This species is found along the mountains of western Sumatra and in central and north-eastern Borneo, both in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Size:
These birds are 9,5-10 cm long and weigh 8,5-11 g.

Habitat:
The black-capped white-eye is mostly found in mountain rainforests, also using rainforests at lower altitudes and high-altitude grasslands. They are present at altitudes of 1.500-3.000 m, occasionally coming down to just 700 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on adult and larval insects, but also take fruits, berries and nectar.

Breeding:
These birds possibly breed in April-June. The nest is a small cup placed in a tree, where the female lays 2-4 pale blue eggs. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as locally very common on high mountain tops in Sumatra. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation.

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