Mount Cameroon speirops

The Mount Cameroon speirops or Cameroon speirops is a species of bird in the disputed family Zosteropidae, which might be included in the Timaliidae. It is endemic to Cameroon.

Loading map...

Distribution

Region

Cameroon Highlands

Typical Environment

Occurs almost exclusively on Mount Cameroon, favoring moist montane forest, forest edges, and dense secondary growth. It also uses shrubby zones, bamboo thickets, and transitional habitats above the main forest belt. The species forages from understory to mid-canopy and occasionally ventures into adjacent cultivated areas with remnant trees. Because its range is small and fragmented by land use, it is patchily distributed even within suitable habitat.

Altitude Range

900–2500 m

Climate Zone

Highland

Characteristics

Size11–13 cm

Wing Span16–20 cm

Male Weight0.012 kg

Female Weight0.011 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

The Mount Cameroon speirops is a white-eye restricted to the slopes of Mount Cameroon, making it highly sensitive to habitat change. It has a taxonomic history in the former genus Speirops and is currently placed within Zosteropidae, though relationships with some babbler groups have been discussed. Its limited range and dependence on montane forest elevate conservation concern.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

social and active

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Outside the breeding season it forms small, fast-moving foraging parties, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. During breeding it pairs off and builds a small cup nest suspended in dense foliage. Both sexes are thought to contribute to nesting duties and care for the young.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A high, thin series of twitters and trills delivered in quick sequences. Contact calls are soft, clipped notes used to keep parties together while foraging.

Unlock detailed bird insights with Pro access today.

Identification

Leg Colorgrey

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Compact white-eye with a contrasting dark head, olive-green upperparts, and cleaner yellowish underparts. Feathers appear smooth and neat, with a crisp, conspicuous eye-ring typical of white-eyes. Wings and tail are dusky with olive edging.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Takes small arthropods gleaned from leaves and twigs, including caterpillars and beetles. Also consumes soft fruits and berries and will probe flowers for nectar. Foraging is agile and methodical, often hanging briefly to inspect the underside of foliage.

Preferred Environment

Feeds in dense montane forest edges, secondary growth, and shrubby zones with abundant foliage and fruiting plants. Frequently uses mid-story layers but will move into the canopy and understory depending on resource availability.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

Mountain blackeye

The mountain blackeye, sometimes referred to as the olive blackeye or simply black-eye, is a species of passerine bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to the highest mountains on the island of Borneo. It is known from both Malaysian states on the island, and four of the five Indonesian provinces, but has never been recorded in Brunei. Typically found at elevations above 1,800 m (5,900 ft), the mountain blackeye sometimes moves to lower altitudes during periods of drought. There are four subspecies, which show clinal variations in size and coloring. Birds in the north are largest, darkest, and proportionately longer-tailed, while those further south are smaller, paler, and proportionately shorter-tailed. Adults are dark olive-green with a sharply-pointed, bright yellow-orange bill and a small dark mask connecting black lores with a black eye-ring. The subspecies show varying amounts of yellow in their plumage, particularly on the face and underparts. Young birds resemble their parents, but have less brightly colored bills.

Mountain bluebird

The mountain bluebird is a migratory small thrush that is found in mountainous districts of western North America. It has a light underbelly and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills and are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter underneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast, grey crown, throat and back. In fresh fall plumage, the female's throat and breast are tinged with red-orange which is brownish near the flank, contrasting with white tail underparts. Their call is a thin 'few' while their song is a warbled high 'chur chur'. The mountain bluebird is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada. This bird is an omnivore and it can live 6 to 10 years in the wild. It eats spiders, grasshoppers, flies and other insects, and small fruits. The mountain bluebird is a relative of the eastern and western bluebirds.

Mountain bulbul

The mountain bulbul is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is often placed in Hypsipetes, but seems to be closer to the type species of the genus Ixos, the Sunda bulbul. It is found in Southeast Asia and is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN. It is named after British East India Company Surgeon John McClelland.