Papuan White-eye (Zosterops novaeguineae) [XC186069]
by John V. Moore from Rondon Ridge, Mount Hagen, Dei District, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea (call)
Papuan White-eye (Zosterops novaeguineae) [XC582398]
by id from Road to Arfak Mountains, Indonesia (song)
Subspecies
Possibly related to Ambon White-eye (Zosterops kuehni). Formerly suggested affinity to either Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus) or Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) not supported by morphological or ecological characters. Lowland subspecies (aruensis, wuroi and magnirostris) smaller than montane ones (nominate, wahgiensis, oreophilus, crissalis), but the two groups have no phylogenetic significance. Birds of this species in Kumawa Mts are of uncertain racial identity, provisionally placed in nominate.
The following 7 subspecies are recognised:
novaeguineae Salvadori, 1878 - Arfak Mts and (subspecies dubious) Kumawa Mts, in north-western New Guinea.
aruensis Mees, 1953 - Aru Is.
wuroi Mayr & Rand, 1935 - Trans-Fly region from R Bensbach east to Fly R mouth, in lowland southern New Guinea.
magnirostris Mees, 1955 - Awar, opposite Manam I, perhaps also lower parts of Adelbert Range, in north-eastern New Guinea.
oreophilus Mayr, 1931 - Saruwaged Mts (Huon Peninsula), in north-eastern New Guinea.
wahgiensis Mayr & Gilliard, 1951 - Wahgi valley east to Okapa area, and surrounding mountains, Mt Wilhelm and Mt Orata (Eastern Highlands Province), in eastern New Guinea.
crissalis Sharpe, 1884 - Mountains of south-eastern New Guinea.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet