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The Abyssinian White-eye or White-breasted White-eye (Zosterops abyssinicus) belongs to the white-eye family Zosteropidae.
Distribution
They are native to north-east Africa and southern Arabia.
In Africa, they occur from north-east Sudan south through Eritrea, Ethiopia, northern Somalia and Kenya to north-east Tanzania. They can also be found on Socotra Island.
In Arabia, their range includes south-west Saudi Arabia, Yemen and southern Oman.
It is found at an altitude of up to 1,800 meters (~5,600 feet) above sea-level in Africa and 3,100 meters (~10,100 feet) in Arabia.
They inhabit open woodland, scrub, wadis as well as gardens.
Description
They average 10-12 cm (4 to 4.7 inches) in length. The upper plumage is green; darker and greyer in northern species. They have a white ring around the eyes, and a thin black line between the beak and eye.
Depending on the race, the underparts vary from pale yellow to greyish-white.
Calls / Vocalizations
They make various twittering and buzzing calls.
Diet / Feeding
They usually forage among branches in trees, occasionally descending to the ground to feed. They diet consists of insects, but they will also feed on nectar from flowers.
Species Research by Sibylle Johnson
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