Two new species of the bird genus Zosterops (white-eyes) have been discovered in the forests of the Wakatobi Archipelago, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The Wakatobi white-eye. Image credit: Seán Kelly.
White-eyes as a group have spread and speciated more rapidly than any other birds. They are adaptable, feeding on a wide variety of fruits, flowers and insects.
These birds are also supreme island colonisers, which is why so many different white-eye species have evolved so rapidly, as different island populations become isolated and split off from their source population.
The two new white-eye species — named the Wakatobi white-eye and the Wangi-wangi white-eye — follow this trend; they are both found on the Wakatobi Islands.
The Wakatobi white-eye, also known as Zosterops chloris flavissimus, has been caught up in the species debate for some time, as ideas about how to define a species changed from the early 20th century to the current day.
The Wangi-wangi white-eye remained unnoticed until the beginning of the 21st century when a team of researchers from Trinity College Dublin, Halu Oleo University and Operation Wallacea visited the island from which it takes its name.
“These discoveries are not just of evolutionary interest — they will also be of real conservation relevance,” said Trinity College Dublin’s Dr. Darren O’Connell.
“By highlighting the unique species special to the Wakatobi Islands we can help safeguard the remaining habitats on the islands, which are under huge pressure.”
“We ultimately hope to have the islands recognized as an Endemic Bird Area so that they receive more conservation support.”
The Wangi-wangi white-eye. Image credit: James Eaton.
The Wakatobi white-eye is found throughout the Wakatobi Islands and split from its mainland relatives in the last 800,000 years.
In contrast, the Wangi-wangi white-eye is a much older species found on only one tiny island, with its closest relatives found more than 1,800 miles (3,000 km) away.
“To find two new species from the same genus of birds in the same island is remarkable,” said team leader Professor Nicola Marples, also from Trinity College Dublin.
“The Wangi-wangi white-eye is a particularly special discovery, as it is found on only one tiny island and its closest relatives live more than 1,800 miles away.”
Wakatobi and Wangi-wangi white-eyes are described in a paper published this week online in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
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Darren P. O’Connell et al. A sympatric pair of undescribed white-eye species (Aves: Zosteropidae: Zosterops) with different origins. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, published online April 23, 2019; doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz022
