Long-billed white-eye

Rukia longirostra

The long-billed white-eye is a species of bird in the Zosteropidae family. It is endemic to the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical moist forests, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.

It has a curious nuthatch-like behavior of creeping along large tree limbs, and seems particularly specialized in using its long, slightly decurved bill to extract arthropods from the severed ends of branches.

Long-billed white-eye seems quite distinct in both plumage, structure, and habits from other ''Rukia'' and may deserve a change of genus, possibly to ''Zosterops''.
Status: Near threatened
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyZosteropidae
GenusRukia
SpeciesR. longirostra
Photographed in
Micronesia