Facts The Bird Shops Probably Didn’t Tell You About The Mata Puteh

The Singing Mata Puteh

Living in Singapore introduces various sights, from high rise flats with hanging laundry to the still popular bird singing corner. This is an activity that has been participated in for many decades, but only in the 90’s did the government start to revamp and build more designated areas for residents to gather or individuals to bring their pet birds (in cages) to relax, or just have a chat, flaunt their prized birds and let their pet birds take a breather as well.

Source: http://undertheangsanatree.blogspot.sg/2016/06/bird-singing-corner-uniquely-singapore.html

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

Regular folks passing by probably wouldn’t ask about someone’s pet bird, but like us, we’re pretty sure majority of Singaporeans are familiar with the tiniest singer of them all, The Mata Puteh. Let us uncover these little facts for you!

Source: https://iamlark.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/species-named-after-nilgiri-mountains/oriental-white-eye-zosterops-palpebrosus-nilghiriensis/

The Mata Puteh, translates to mean “White Eye” in Melayu, and it is no wonder, because they rare easily recognized by none other than their white ringed eyes. As these birds have multiplied and morphed so rapidly in various countries and different parts of the world, the true origins are still shrouded in mystery. Information on these birds are through hardwork and research of Zoologists, Bird Watchers, and even Bird Lovers. As of now the various species of the White Eye has reached a range of 84 to 96 types, but the common ones here in Singapore were reported to be around 5 different species.

Appearance

Source: http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=1375&Bird_Image_ID=107616&p=49

A few common features the Mata Puteh share amongst the different species would be their Greenish Olive coloured feathers which covers most of their bodies, varying in different shades. Their bellies are usually white, but may sport a pale shade of grey, green or yellow, subjective to their species. They have a sharp, slightly off curve bill, enabling them to feed on nectar and fruits.

The White Eye Birds belong to a category of small Passeriformes, which refers to birds with 3 front claws and one at the back, commonly known to be “tree-perchers”.

Singapore’s Mata Puteh

Imagine our surprise when we realized there were so many species of the Mata Puteh, cause it’s just too hard to tell them apart! Even the ones we’ve seen at Bird Shops (there is hardly any that doesn’t sell The Mata Puteh) There’s just absolutely no way to recognize them for their species to a novice eye. The following are the ones reported to be sighted in Singapore so far:

The Oriental White Eye

Source:http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2012/10/07/top-25-wild-bird-photographs-of-the-week-23/oriental-white-eye-pranesh-kodancha/

Zosterops Palpebrosus

This Mata Puteh is perhaps the most common here in Singapore, olive green bodies, white underbelly, throat and vent region is yellow in colour, adults are 8 to 9 centimetres in length.

The Everett’s White Eye

Source:http://birdphotoph.proboards.com/thread/9253/everetts-white-eye

Zosterops Everetti

More populated in the Philippines, these White Eye birds were first collected and studied by a Zoological Collector by the name of Alfred Hart Everett (as the name of this White Eye specie goes!) They can grow up to 12 centimetres in length.

The Mountain White Eye

Source: http://www.whatiscalled.com/bird-names/mountain_white_eye_in_burmese/

Zosterops Montanus

A common specie of White Eye bird in Indonesia and Philippines, studied by A French Ornithologist Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte. Their bodies sport a slightly more yellow in colour around the head region, and they’re known to grow to 11 centimetres or more.

The Japanese White Eye

Source: http://pictify.saatchigallery.com/239656/kitagawa-utamaro-long-tailed-tit-enaga-and-japanese-white-eyes-mejiro-ca-1790

Zosterops Japonicus

Like their name states, these guys are from Japan and later on spread through other countries. Commonly depicted in Japanese art, they are known as “Mejiro” in their native lands, which also translates to mean, “White Eye”. They too have yellow throats and similar shade of olive green on their bodies. Known to grow to about 10 centimetres.

The Chestnut Flanked White Eye

Source: http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/news/china-beidaihe-2010-pics.html

Zosterops Erythroplerus

These White Eyes are a little easier to spot, for like their name says, “Chestnut Flanked”. This refers to the noticeable brown, or red on both sides around the lower region of their bodies, and they are interestingly most populated in Russia. Other names for The Chestnut Flanked White Eye are “Red-Flanked White Eye”, or “Chinese White Eye”.

Buying A Mata Puteh In Singapore

It isn’t hard to find a shop that sells the White Eye Bird in Singapore, if you’re looking to owning one as a pet, then specie should not be too much of an issue. Always bear in mind that birds are meant to be vocal. Birds that are too quiet is always a sign of illness or stress. So be sure that you are fine with chirping and sharp twiddling, otherwise don’t even consider a pet bird.

Bird Lovers are known to spend a bomb on these little beauties, not to worry though, the pricey ones are those that have already won in competitions or hopeful potentials. Perhaps markings play a part too?

Source: http://pet-cockatiel.com/Dboard/viewtopic.php?t=939&start=18

If one has spent a good amount of money on a priced bird, it would be absurd to house them in a cheap looking cage. Yes owners are known to spend even on cages. These wooden cages may look normal or similar to us, but there could be hidden tiny accents to make the cage fancy, like a food bowl, even details in the wood carvings of the cage.

Mata Puteh Food

Source: https://www.petinfoclub.com/Birds/Profiles/Softbills/White-eyes_or_Zosterops.aspx

It is not uncommon for an owner to feed their Mata Putehs commercial bird food pellets of different grades, but the occasional fruits or insects such as grasshopper or crickets is completely fine as well. These White Eye Birds in their natural habitat thrive on fruits, nectar, and insects.

Singapore Idol Birds

As we’ve mentioned at the start of this article, The Mata Puteh is commonly showcased at Bird-singing competitions, so we thought we’d ask a few fanatics on the judging sequence. The following is a brief description of how to judge at a bird singing contest. So apparently, owners assemble their bird cages and each bird is allowed a fixed time frame to “perform”, the more active your pet bird is, the more you’d score.

Source: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/meet-springs-biggest-fan-the-japanese-white-eye

But being physically active isn’t the only factor of course, next in play would be none other than the singing. Research tells us that every different species of the Mata Puteh may call differently, and we’re pretty sure only the experts can discern the various calls. Talk about having good ears!