Plumages, Molts, and Structure

These descriptions refer to the nominate subspecies; the other two subspecies are described under Systematics: Geographic Variation.

Juvenile

Immature birds resemble adults.

Adult

Adult has a distinct yellow forehead and forecrown extending to between the eyes, a white eye-ring 1–2 mm wide, and a narrow black line through lores and lower front edge of eye-ring. The crown and upperparts are green; the tail is dark brown with narrow green outer edges. The flight feathers and primary coverts are blackish brown, edged green to yellowish green.The chin and throat are yellow , breast-sides and band across upper breast are pale gray, flanks are grayish buff, the center of breast and belly are white, sometimes tinged yellow, while the thighs and undertail coverts are yellow. The axillaries are pale yellow, and underwing coverts are white with yellow tinge. Males and females look alike.

No information available.

Bill

Black.

Iris and Facial Skin

Brown or hazel.

Tarsi and Toes

Legs slate to pale gray.

Linear Measurements

Wing length

• Zosterops poliogastrus poliogastrus: 63.9 mm (range 58–69, n = 54, from eastern Ethiopia highlands except extreme south); 61.5 mm (range 59–63, n = 11, from the extreme south of Eastern Ethiopia highlands) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ).
• Zosterops poliogastrus kaffensis: 60 mm (range 57–63, n = 29) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ).
• Zosterops poliogastrus kulalensis: 62.7 mm (range 61–64, n = 8) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ); range 62–65 mm (n = 8 males and 3 females), type specimen: adult male 64 mm (3 Williams, J. G. (1948). A new race of white-eye from Kenya Colony. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 68(5):101–102. Close ).

Tail length

• Zosterops poliogastrus poliogastrus: 48.4 (range 43–53, n = 54, from eastern Ethiopia highlands except extreme south); 47.3 (range 46–49, n = 11, from the extreme south of Eastern Ethiopia highlands) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ).
• Zosterops poliogastrus kaffensis: 45.1 mm mm (range 41–48, n = 29) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ).
• Zosterops poliogastrus kulalensis: 46.5 mm (range 45–51, n = 8) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ); type specimen, adult male: 48 mm (3 Williams, J. G. (1948). A new race of white-eye from Kenya Colony. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 68(5):101–102. Close ).

Beak length

• Zosterops poliogastrus poliogastrus: 14.1 mm (range 13–15, n = 54, from Eastern Ethiopia highlands except extreme south); 14.1 mm (range 13–15, n = 11, from the extreme south of Eastern Ethiopia highlands) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ).
• Zosterops poliogastrus kaffensis: 14 mm (range 13–15, n = 29) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ).
• Zosterops poliogastrus kulalensis: 15.4 mm (range 14–16, n = 8) (2 Moreau, R. E. (1957). Variation in the western Zosteropidae. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 4(7):309–433. Close ); type specimen, adult male, culmen from base: 15 mm (3 Williams, J. G. (1948). A new race of white-eye from Kenya Colony. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 68(5):101–102. Close ).

Mass

Zosterops poliogastrus kulalensis: male 11 g (n = 1), female 13 g (n = 1) (4 Diamond, A. W., and G. S. Keith (1980). Avifaunas of Kenya forest islands. Scopus 4:49-55. Close )