Zosterops novaeguineae

General description: 

Nominate race has rather narrow white eyering, dark grey lores; top of head and upperparts dark yellowish olive-green; remiges and rectrices blackish-brown, broadly bordered with olive-green; chin, throat, upper breast and undertail-coverts not very bright sulphur-yellow, rest of underparts satin-white, more greyish in flanks and breast; iris blackish to grey-brown; bill black; legs grey, brown ore blackish. Distinguished from Z. mirror locally either by lack of black in forecrown, or by less bright throat. Sexes similar. Juvenile is similar to adult, but eyering smaller. Races differ minly in size, plumage tones and width of eyering: aruensis is small, with rather wide eyering, deeper dark yellow throat; wuroi is small, greener above than other races, loral line blackish-grey, wide eyering, rather pale yellow throat; wahgiensis is similar to nominate but larger, slightly greener above, rather bright yellow, sometimes has slight yellow longitudinal streak below; oreophilus is similar to previous, but some yellow on forehead and above lores, and has lower half of eyering white and upper half grey; crissalis is more yellowish, less dark green on upperparts, with forehead and supraloral region distinctly yellow; magnirostris is small, with large bill, rather pale yellow, more greenish throat, has yellowish median streak down to belly.

Conservation status: 

Not Threatened

Diagnostic description: 

Nominate race has rather narrow white eyering, dark grey lores; top of head and upperparts dark yellowish olive-green; remiges and rectrices blackish-brown, broadly bordered with olive-green; chin, throat, upper breast and undertail-coverts not very bright sulphur-yellow, rest of underparts satin-white, more greyish in flanks and breast; iris blackish to grey-brown; bill black; legs grey, brown ore blackish. Distinguished from Z. mirror locally either by lack of black in forecrown, or by less bright throat. Sexes similar. Juvenile is similar to adult, but eyering smaller. Races differ minly in size, plumage tones and width of eyering: aruensis is small, with rather wide eyering, deeper dark yellow throat; wuroi is small, greener above than other races, loral line blackish-grey, wide eyering, rather pale yellow throat; wahgiensis is similar to nominate but larger, slightly greener above, rather bright yellow, sometimes has slight yellow longitudinal streak below; oreophilus is similar to previous, but some yellow on forehead and above lores, and has lower half of eyering white and upper half grey; crissalis is more yellowish, less dark green on upperparts, with forehead and supraloral region distinctly yellow; magnirostris is small, with large bill, rather pale yellow, more greenish throat, has yellowish median streak down to belly.

Size: 

11 cm; 11-13.5 g

Phylogeny: 

Taxonomy: Zosterops novaeguineae Salvadori, 1878, Arfak Mountains, New Guinea. Possibly related to Z. kuehni; formerly suggested affinity to either Z. montanus or Z. lateralis not supported by morphological or ecological characters. Lowland races (aruensis, wuroi and magnirostris) smaller than montane ones (nominate, wahgiensis, oreophilus, crissalis), but the two groups have no phylogenetic significance. Birds of this species in Kumawa Mts are of uncertain racial identity, provisionally placed in nominate. Seven subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)

Distribution: 

Subspecies and Distribution:

    * novaeguineae Salvadori, 1878 - Arfak Mts and (race dubious) Kumawa Mts, in NW New Guinea. * aruensis Mees, 1953 - Aru Is. * wuroi Mayr & Rand, 1935 - Trans-Fly region from R Bensbach E to Fly R mouth, in lowland S New Guinea. * magnirostris Mees, 1955 - Awar, opposite Manam I, perhaps also lower parts of Adelbert Range, in NE New Guinea. * oreophilus Mayr, 1931 - Saruwaged Mts (Huon Peninsula), in NE New Guinea. * wahgiensis Mayr & Gilliard, 1951 - Wahgi valley E to Okapa area, and surrounding mountains, Mt Wilhelm and Mt Orata (Eastern Highlands Province), in E New Guinea. * crissalis Sharpe, 1884 - mountains of SE New Guinea.
Habitat: 

Rainforest, monsoon forest (Trans-Fly only) and edge, bushes of secondary growth, patches of secondary growth on grassland areas, disturbed areas, gardens, and groves of casuarinas. Mostly in hills and lower mountains, between 650 m and 2600 (mainly 1250-2400 m) in S (wuroi) and elevations localy replaces by Z. atrifrons, at higher elevations locally (W New Guinea) by Z fuscicapilla.

Trophic strategy: 

Stomach contents included spiders, insects, fruits and seeds. Occurs in small to large parties of up to 50 or more individuals; occasionally associates with flocks of Z. atrifrons. Forages in crown to middle levels, occasionally descends to understorey of forest, where seen to fees on fruits of small trees; gleans through foliage in search of small insects. Visits fig trees (Ficus) and flowering trees of Rhus

Reproduction: 

Breeding Recorded in Aug, Sept, Dec-Jan and Apr. Nest a basin-shaped cup, externally c. 7 cm wide and 3.7-4.5 cm high, internally c. 5 cm wide and 3-3.8 cm deep, composed of fine light brown fibres, thinly woven, with complete thin outer layer of green moss among which are a few smell feathers and some spider webs, slung by rim from forded twig. Clutch 2 eggs, very pale blue, 16.3-17.3 x 11.4-13 mm. No other information.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith