Lowland White-eye (Zosterops meyeni) [XC454982]
by Sunny Tseng from Lanyu, Taitung County, Taiwan Province, Taiwan (song)
Lowland White-eye (Zosterops meyeni) [XC97716]
by Romeo B. Galang, Jr from Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines (song)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) and Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus), and sometimes considered conspecific with either or with both, but all appear morphologically distinct. Sometimes only northern subspecies batanis is placed within Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus). In Philippines, birds of this species recently discovered on Mindoro of uncertain racial identity, provisionally included in nominate. Birds from Marinduque described as subspecies gilli, and formerly placed with Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus), but now regarded as a synonym of nominate subspecies of present species. Originally named as Dicaeum flavum, but that name preoccupied.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
batanis McGregor, 1907 - Islands of Lan Yü and Lü Tao, off south-eastern Taiwan, and Batan Is, in extreme northern Philippines.
meyeni Bonaparte, 1850 - Calayan, Luzon, Lubang, Verde, Mindoro, Caluya, Marinduque and Banton, in northern and north-central Philippines.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet