Жапон ақкөзді құсының сипаттамасы

Species of bird

The warbling white eye (Zosterops japonicus) is a small passerine bird in the white eye family. The specific epithet is occasionally written japonica, but this is incorrect due to the gender of the genus. Its native range includes much of East Asia, including the Russian Far East, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines. It has been intentionally introduced to other parts of the world as a pet and as pest control, with mixed results. As one of the native species of the Japanese islands, it has been depicted in Japanese art on numerous occasions, and historically was kept as a cage bird.

The warbling white eye was described by the ornithologists Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel in 1847 from a specimen collected in Japan. They coined the binomial name Zosterops japonicus. The English name "Japanese white eye" was formerly used for Zosterops japonicus and what are now the Philippine subspecies of Z. japonicus were treated as a separate species, the "mountain white eye" Z. montanus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that Z. montanus and several subspecies of Z. japonicus were conspecific, and they were therefore lumped together. They were placed in Z. japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1845 as this has priority over Z. montanus (Bonaparte, 1850). The new English name "warbling white eye" was introduced for the combined taxa. At the same time, several other subspecies of the former Z. japonicus were split off into their own separate species, Swinhoe's white eye Z. simplex. There are 15 recognised subspecies many of which are island endemics: It has a green forehead and a yellow throat. The white eye has rounded wings and a long, slender bill – both of which indicate this bird to be very acrobatic. Its wings are dark brown but outlined in green. Like other white eyes, this species exhibits the distinctive white eyering that gives it its name (mejiro, as the bird is known in Japan, translates to "white eye"). Adults range from in length, and weigh between 9.75 and 12.75 grams. Nests tend to be cup shaped, with a diameter of 56.2 mm and a depth of 41.7 mm. Consequences of its diet include regulation of local insect populations and dispersal of seeds; however, the white eye's seed dispersal ability does not seem to be significant in Hawaii.

The warbling white eye is found in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, eastern China, and the northern Philippines. Migratory populations of the bird spend winters in Burma, Thailand, Hainan Island, and Vietnam. The white eye is widespread and common in Japan, considered one of the more dominant bird species. In spring 2018 there were several sightings of Japanese white eyes in Southern California, with confirmed breeding in San Diego County as of 2019. However, in 2019 the California birds were reclassified as belonging to a newly designated species, Swinhoe's white eye. The dominant white eye population in Taiwan has similarly been reassigned to Swinhoe's.

The warbling white eye, originally introduced in O’ahu in 1929, has rapidly expanded its population and can now be found on every island of Hawaii; the climates of these islands range from tropical rain forests to deciduous forests. After subsequent releases and natural range expansion (enlargement of the area it occupies), the white eye was determined to be the most abundant land bird on the Hawaiian Islands as early as 1987. It has become a vector for avian parasites that are now known to adversely affect populations of native birds such as Hawaiian honeycreepers, as well as spreading invasive plant species through discarded seeds.

Organisms known to prey upon native Hawaiian avian species include small mammals, like the Polynesian, black, and Norway rats, and the mongoose. There are no documented predators of the warbling white eye. It can only be inferred that organisms that prey on small mammals and birds in the same area as the warbling white eye also prey on the white eye itself.

In its natural habitat, the warbling white eye competes with other native passerine bird species, including those of the same genus, such as the Bonin white eye (Apalopteron familiare). In Hawaii, the warbling white eye competes with native passerines such as the common 'amakihi, for food (such as nectar and fruit), as well as for space. In Hawaii, the warbling white eye has been observed visiting endemic (native) floral species thought to have coevolved with endemic nectarivorous avian species (those that eat nectar). The determination of the status of native birds is essential; those found to be endangered could possibly benefit from the designation of critical habitat. Whether eradication is feasible and applicable to other instances of invasive exotic birds is yet to be determined, but could be considered a possibility for the eradication of the warbling white eye in the Hawaiian Islands. However, because the white eye's current ecological role is not fully understood (i. e. seed disperser, pollinator, etc.) further studies are necessary before any drastic measures are taken.