Southern Yellow White-eye

The Southern Yellow White-eye, Zosterops anderssoni, is a charming avian species belonging to the Zosteropidae family. This small bird is distinguished by its conspicuous yellow plumage and the characteristic white ring encircling its eye, which gives the group its name.

Identification Tips

To identify the Southern Yellow White-eye, look for its vibrant yellow underparts and olive-green upperparts. The white eye-ring is a key feature, contrasting with its dark eyes. Its bill is slender and pointed, adept for gleaning insects.

Habitat

This species thrives in a variety of habitats, from woodlands to scrublands, and can often be found flitting about in the foliage of trees and shrubs.

Distribution

The Southern Yellow White-eye is found across parts of southern Africa. Its range extends from east and south Angola and north Namibia to southwest Tanzania, west Mozambique, and north South Africa.

Behaviour

These birds are active and social, often seen in small flocks. They exhibit a flitting manner of flight and are known to be quite agile as they forage among the leaves.

Song & Calls

The vocalizations of the Southern Yellow White-eye are a delightful aspect of their presence, contributing a series of melodious chirps and whistles to the soundscape of their environment.

Similar Species

The Southern Yellow White-eye was once considered conspecific with the African Yellow White-eye, now renamed the Northern Yellow White-eye (Zosterops senegalensis). However, they are now recognized as separate species.

Diet and Feeding

These birds are insectivorous, skillfully gleaning small insects from the foliage with their pointed bills.