Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)

Riper, Sandra G. van

doi:10.2173/bna.487

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Although white‐eyes ingested seeds less frequently, they fed on a variety of plants, and their abundance indicated they are primary disperser. Individual birds from each forest type were not recaptured in the other forest type, but home range movements of white‐eyes and leiothrix from other studies indicate potential seed dispersal of >3 ha for each species (Male et al 1998; van Riper 2000). The remaining bird species were less important as seed dispersers because they occurred at low densities or rarely ate fruit.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduced Birds and the Fate of Hawaiian Rainforests

Foster

Robinson

2007

Conservation Biology

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The Hawaiian Islands have lost nearly all their native seed dispersers, but have gained many frugivorous birds and fleshy-fruited plants through introductions. Introduced birds may not only aid invasions of exotic plants but also may be the sole dispersers of native plants. We assessed seed dispersal at the ecotone between native- and exotic-dominated forests and quantified bird diets, seed rain from defecated seeds, and plant distributions. Introduced birds were the primary dispersers of native seeds into exotic-dominated forests, which may have enabled six native understory plant species to become reestablished. Some native plant species are now as common in exotic forest understory as they are in native forest. Introduced birds also dispersed seeds of two exotic plants into native forest, but dispersal was localized or establishment minimal. Seed rain of bird-dispersed seeds was extensive in both forests, totaling 724 seeds of 9 native species and 2 exotics with over 85% of the seeds coming from native plants. Without suitable native dispersers, most common understory plants in Hawaiian rainforests now depend on introduced birds for dispersal, and these introduced species may actually facilitate perpetuation, and perhaps in some cases restoration, of native forests. We emphasize, however, that restoration of native forests by seed dispersal from introduced birds, as seen in this study, depends on the existence of native forests to provide a source of seeds and protection from the effects of ungulates. Our results further suggest that aggressive control of patches of non-native plants within otherwise native-dominated forests may be an important and effective conservation strategy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduced Birds and the Fate of Hawaiian Rainforests

Foster

Robinson

2007

Conservation Biology

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“…Six ‘Ōma‘o were captured and tracked during the breeding season (February–April; Wakelee & Fancy ) and three during the non‐breeding season (July–September). Japanese White‐eyes can breed year‐round; though, the peak season is March to June (van Riper ). All nine individuals were captured and tracked during February and June.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement Patterns of a Native and Non‐native Frugivore in Hawaii and Implications for Seed Dispersal

Delparte

Hart

2014

Biotropica

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Avian frugivores historically played important roles as seed dispersers across the Hawaiian Islands, but presently, the ‘Ōma‘o (Myadestes obscurus) is the only extant native frugivore in the wild on the Island of Hawaii. During recent decades, the introduced generalist Japanese White‐eye (Zosterops japonicus) has become the most common bird in Hawaii. The movements of avian frugivores largely dictate how far seeds get dispersed and into what kinds of microhabitats. This study compares the movement patterns and diet of the ‘Ōma‘o to the Japanese White‐eye to understand how a native differs from a non‐native frugivore in the type and distances of seeds dispersed. Radiotelemetry was conducted on nine ‘Ōma‘o and nine Japanese White‐eyes in a system of natural forest fragments (kīpuka) created by lava flows. Japanese White‐eyes disperse seeds approximately twice as far as ‘Ōma‘o; during the time of gut passage, ‘Ōma‘o move a mean distance of 98.1 m, and Japanese White‐eyes move 170.1–194.8 m. However, the ‘Ōma‘o disperses the seeds of at least seven different native fruit species compared with two dispersed by Japanese White‐eyes. Japanese White‐eyes were found to disperse seeds smaller than 1.5 mm, whereas the ‘Ōma‘o dispersed seeds up to 6 mm in diameter. Despite their ecological differences, both birds distribute certain seeds within and among kīpuka and likely facilitate primary succession of fruiting plants in the young lava matrix. However, this study suggests that if the ‘Ōma‘o were extirpated, a smaller‐bodied generalist cannot entirely substitute for the ecological role played by the native frugivore.

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“…The white-eye is an extreme generalist that consumes arthropods, nectar, and fruit [48], and is considered an exploitative competitor with several species of Hawaiian birds [43]. Its taxonomic family Zosteropidae is renowned for range expansion and niche diversification [49].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Timing, Duration, and Symmetry of Molt of Hawaiian Forest Birds

Freed

Cann

2012

PLoS ONE

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Food limitation greatly affects bird breeding performance, but the effect of nutritive stress on molt has barely been investigated outside of laboratory settings. Here we show changes in molting patterns for an entire native Hawaiian bird community at 1650–1900 m elevation on the Island of Hawaii between 1989–1999 and 2000–2006, associated with severe food limitation throughout the year beginning in 2000. Young birds and adults of all species took longer to complete their molt, including months never or rarely used during the 1989–1999 decade. These included the cold winter months and even the early months of the following breeding season. In addition, more adults of most species initiated their molt one to two months earlier, during the breeding season. Suspended molt, indicated by birds temporarily not molting primary flight feathers during the months of peak primary molt, increased in prevalence. Food limitation reached the point where individuals of all species had asymmetric molt, with different primary flight feathers molted on each wing. These multiple changes in molt, unprecedented in birds, had survival consequences. Adult birds captured during January to March, 2000–2004, had lower survival in four of five species with little effect of extended molt. Extended molt may be adaptive for a nutrient stressed bird to survive warm temperatures but not cool winter temperatures that may obliterate the energy savings. The changing molt of Hawaiian birds has many implications for conservation and for understanding life history aspects of molt of tropical birds.

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Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Introduced Birds and the Fate of Hawaiian Rainforests

Introduced Birds and the Fate of Hawaiian Rainforests

Movement Patterns of a Native and Non‐native Frugivore in Hawaii and Implications for Seed Dispersal

Changes in Timing, Duration, and Symmetry of Molt of Hawaiian Forest Birds

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