Zosterornis

Zosterornis is a genus of passerine birds in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. The five species in the genus are endemic to the Philippines.

Zosterornis
Chestnut-faced babbler (Zosterornis whiteheadi)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Zosteropidae
Genus:	Zosterornis Ogilvie-Grant, 1894
Type species
Zosterornis whiteheadi (chestnut-faced babbler) Ogilvie-Grant, 1894
Species
see text

Taxonomy

The genus Zosterornis was introduced in 1894 by the Scottish ornithologist William Robert Ogilvie-Grant to accommodate his newly described species, the chestnut-faced babbler, which thus becomes the type species.^[1][2] The name combines the Ancient Greek zōstēr meaning "belt" with ornis meaning "bird".^[3]

These species were formerly included in the genus Stachyris in the Old World babblers family Timaliidae.^[4] They were moved to their own genus Zosterornis in the white-eye family Zosteropidae based on molecular phylogenetic studies published in the first decade of the 21st century.^[5][6]

The genus contains the following five species:^[7]

• Chestnut-faced babbler, Zosterornis whiteheadi
• Luzon striped babbler, Zosterornis striatus
• Panay striped babbler, Zosterornis latistriatus
• Negros striped babbler, Zosterornis nigrorum
• Palawan striped babbler, Zosterornis hypogrammicus