About Zosterops virens Sundevall, 1850
Identification: Zosterops virens is approximately 12 cm long, with rounded wings, strong legs, and a prominent ring of white feathers surrounding the eyes. Its upperparts are green, while the throat and vent are bright yellow. The subspecies Zosterops virens capensis has grey breast and belly, whereas the nominate subspecies Zosterops virens virens has greenish-yellow breast and belly. These birds are very vocal, and constantly stay in contact with one another using soft, trilled call notes that sound like pee, pree or pirreee. Their song is made up of repeated, long, jerky phrases of sweet, reedy notes that vary in pitch, volume, and tempo. It usually opens with teee teee or pirrup pirrup notes, then transitions into a fast, rambling jumble of notes that may include mimicked phrases from other bird species. Distribution: This species occurs across a wide range of wooded habitats, from dense to lightly wooded areas, in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and marginally in Mozambique. Most of its populations are non-migratory residents, though some make small seasonal movements.
