1Feb 2022.

Introduction:

The new bird species, Cyornis and Zosterops, were discovered recently from Borneo. These species were inhabiting Meratus Mountains in south-eastern Borneo.

About Cyornis Genus

• Cyornis is a genus of passerine birds, belonging to Old-World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
• This genus comprises of 25 currently recognized species. It also includes some species which were previously placed in Rhinomyias genus.
• It is distributed across southern Asia, from Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Characteristics of Cyornis Flycatchers

• Most of Cyornis flycatchers are sexually dimorphic in plumage. Males are blue above and blue & white or orange & white below.
•  However, few species are sexually monomorphic and lack bright colours.
• This species is most closely related to Dayak blue flycatcher, but morphologically different due to lighter blue on the upper parts and less reddish & more whitish on the underparts.

About Zosterops

• Zosterops is a genus of passerine birds.
• It comprises of typical white-eyes in family Zosteropidae.
• This genus comprises of more than 100 species.
• These species are distributed across Afrotropical, Australasian and Indomalayan, realms.
• These birds are supreme island colonizers.
•  This is why, so many different white-eye species have evolved rapidly.

Feature of Zosterops species

• Most characteristic feature of Zosterops white-eyes is its conspicuous white feather ring around eye.
•  However, some species lack it.
• This species is most closely related to lemon-bellied white-eye, but different due to olive upperparts and darker underparts.

Species found in Borneo

• The avian biodiversity and endemism of Borneo is significant.
• Around 50 endemic species have been described from the island under taxonomic arrangements.
• Many of these are montane specialists, while around 27 species are endemic to Borneo’s highlands.