A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

Bill curved and pointed, very similar to the bill of Dicœum, but without serrations in the cutting edges; nostril opening beneath an opercle or scale; rictal bristles inconspicuous; eye usually surrounded by a ring of short white feathers of a silky texture; wing with nine primaries; tail square, moderate in length and extending beyond the toes.

Genera.

• a¹. Upper parts nearly uniform olive-green or greenish yellow; length rarely more than 125 mm. Zosterops (p. [613])
• a². Upper parts uniform cinnamon-rufous; length more than 150 mm. Hypocryptadius (p. [621])

Genus ZOSTEROPS Vigors and Horsfield, 1826.

Culmen decidedly ridged; eye, except in Z. goodfellowi, surrounded by a ring of white feathers; general color yellow and yellowish green, the abdomen in some species white, gray, or drab.

Species.[79]

• a¹. Eye surrounded by a circle of white feathers; chin and throat, at least, bright lemon-yellow; much smaller in size; wing less than 60 mm.
  • b¹. Under parts not entirely yellow; sides of breast and of abdomen whitish, ashy gray, or plumbeous.
    • c¹. Median yellow line on breast and abdomen obsolete or wanting; breast and abdomen white or very pale gray.
      • d¹. Smaller; wing, 53 mm. or less; culmen from base, 12 or less; forehead duller and less extensively yellow.
      • d². Larger; wing, about 58 mm.; culmen from base, 14; forehead much brighter yellow. batanis (p. [616])
    • c². Median yellow line on breast and abdomen well developed; sides cinereous or ashy gray.
      • d¹. Without a distinct blackish line under the eye; upper parts more yellowish.
      • d². With a distinct dusky line under eye; upper parts more greenish.
  • b². Under parts entirely yellow.
    • c¹. Greatest width of white eye-ring 3 mm. meyleri (p. [618])
    • c². Greatest width of white eye-ring about 1.5 mm.
      • d¹. Upper parts yellower; under parts brighter and yellower.
      • d². Upper parts greener; under parts paler and, except on chin and throat, slightly greener; eye-circle interrupted in front by a small black spot. nigrorum (p. [620])
• • b¹. Larger; bill more slender; front half of head olive-green. goodfellowi (p. [620])
  • b². Smaller; bill stouter; front half of head grayish brown. malindangensis (p. [621])
• a². Eye without a circle of white feathers; chin and fore throat very pale cream-buff; wing more than 65 mm.

606. ZOSTEROPS MEYENI Bonaparte.

MEYEN’S SILVEREYE.

• Zosterops meyeni Bonaparte, Consp. Genera Avium (1850), 1, 398; Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1884), 9, 180; Grant, Ibis (1895), 452; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 231 (habits); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 95.