Whilst birding in the southwest I
came across a number of Abyssinian White-eyes, firstly at the top of the Raydah
Escarpment in Abha and then at Tanoumah. We trapped and ringed five birds and
took biometrics as well as blood samples and photographs. Shown below are some
of the photos. Z. a. abyssinicus occurs from northeast Sudan, through
Eritrea and north & central Ethiopia. Z. a. arabs occurs in
southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and southern Oman. Z. a. socotranus occurs
in north Somalia and Socotra Island. Z. a. omoensis occurs in western
Ethiopia, Z. a. jubaensis in southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya and
southern Somalia and Z. a. flavilateralis in eastern, central and southern
Kenya south to northeast and eastern Tanzania. Nominate race Zosterops
abyssinicus abyssinicus has a yellow supraloral stripe extending to yellow
area above bill, narrow blackish-brown line from lores to below narrow white
eyering. The cheek flecked yellow; forehead to upperparts pale greyish-green,
yellower on uppertail-coverts. The chin to throat and centre of upper breast
pale yellow, lower breast and sides pale grey, belly and thighs greyish-white,
undertail-coverts pale yellow. The iris is light red-brown to brown; bill
horn-brown above, pinkish-brown below; legs brown or flesh-coloured. Sexes
alike. The race occurring in Saudi Arabia Z. a. arabs is like nominate,
but with fairly dark greyish-green upperparts.
