Cape white-eye

Appearance

This species is about 12 cm long with rounded wings, strong legs, and a conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eyes. The upperparts are green, and the throat and vent are bright yellow. The members of the nominate group have a pale yellow central belly with peach coloured flanks. The members of the ''capensis'' subgroup have a grey breast and belly, while the ''virens'' subgroup have a greenish-yellow breast and belly.

They are very vocal, and constantly keep in touch with soft trilled ''pee'', ''pree'' or ''pirreee'' callnotes. The song consists of repeated long jerky phrases of sweet reedy notes, varying in pitch, volume and temp, usually starting off with ''teee teee'' or ''pirrup pirrup'' notes, then becoming a fast rambled jumble of notes, which may incorporate mimicked phrases of other birdcalls.

Distribution

It is found in a wide range of densely to lightly wooded habitats in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. Most populations are resident, but some perform minor seasonal movements.

Behavior

This is a sociable species forming large flocks outside the breeding season. It builds a cup nest in a tree and lays 2-3 unspotted pale blue eggs. The eggs hatch in 11–12 days, and fledging occurs in another 12–13 days. The peak breeding season is September to December.

The Cape white-eye feeds mainly on insects, but also soft fleshy flowers, nectar, fruit and small grains. It readily comes to bird feeders.