Angola white-eye explained

The Angola white-eye (Zosterops kasaicus), is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. It is found from central Democratic Republic of the Congo to northern and central Angola. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the northern yellow white-eye.

Taxonomy

The Angola white-eye was formally described in 1932 by the American ornithologist James Chapin based on a specimen that had been collected near Luluabourg (now Kananga) in the Kasaï region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Chapin considered his specimen to be a subspecies of the forest white-eye (Zosterops stenocricotus) and coined the trinomial name Zosterops stenocricotus kasaicus.^{[1] [2]} The Angola white-eye was formerly considered to be conspecific with the northern yellow white-eye (Zosterops senegalensis). The species were split based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020 that found significant genetic divergence between the two species.^{[3] [4]}

Three subspecies are recognised:^[3]

• Z. k. kasaicus Chapin, 1932 – central DR Congo to northeast Angola
• Z. k. heinrichi Meise, 1958 – northwest Angola
• Z. k. quanzae Meyer de Schauensee, 1933 – central Angola

Notes and References

1. Chapin . James Paul . James Chapin . 1932 . Fourteen new birds from tropical Africa . American Museum Novitates . 570 . 15 .
2. Book: Paynter . Raymond A. Jr . 1986 . Check-list of Birds of the World . 12 . Museum of Comparative Zoology . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 330 .
3. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . August 2024 . Sylviid babblers, parrotbills, white-eyes . IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 21 November 2024 .
4. Martins . F.C. . Cox . S.C. . Irestedt . M. . Prŷs-Jones . R.P. . Day . J.J. . 2020 . A comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Afrotropical white-eyes (Aves: Zosteropidae) highlights prior underestimation of mainland diversity and complex colonisation history . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 149 . 106843 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106843.