Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Previously (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) included with Z. chloris as Z. c. flavissimus. It is yellower and brighter than other forms of Z. chloris, with a golden- or orange-tinged forehead and a wider eye-ring (Eaton et al. 2016). Using morphometric, acoustic and genetic analyses, O’Connell et al. (2019) established that flavissimus, when compared to nominate chloris from adjacent islands in Sulawesi, is also rather smaller, has a higher maximum frequency in its song, and has been separated for considerably longer (0.4?0.8 mya, longer than some accepted species of Zosterops). Monotypic.
Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2022. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
does not normally occur in forest |
Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The population size has not been quantified. However, despite having a small range covering just 435 km2, it is described as abundant by O'Connell et al. (2020), who found more than half of birds mist-netted were the present species.
Trend justification: In the absence of any threats currently enacting on the species thought capable of causing declines, the population is suspected of being stable.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Wakatobi White-eye Zosterops flavissimus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/wakatobi-white-eye-zosterops-flavissimus on 26/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/12/2024.