Heleia is a genus of birds in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. One species, the Timor heleia is restricted to the island of Timor.van Balen, B. (2017). Spot-breasted White-eye (Heleia muelleri). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/60249 on 27 March 2017). The pygmy heleia is endemic to the island of Borneo. The thick-billed heleia, occurs on Flores and Sumbawa.van Balen, B. (2017). Thick-billed White-eye (Heleia crassirostris). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/60250 on 27 March 2017).
Taxonomy The genus Heleia was introduced in 1865 by the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub to accommodate the Timor heleia. The name is from Ancient Greek eleia, an unidentified small bird mentioned by the Greek scholar Callimachus.
The genus contains the following ten species: Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Javan heleia Heleia javanica montane Java and Bali Grey-hooded heleia Heleia pinaiae montane central Seram (central east Moluccas) Pygmy heleia Heleia squamifrons Borneo Mindanao heleia Heleia goodfellowi montane Mindanao (south Philippines) Sulawesi heleia Heleia squamiceps montane Sulawesi Eyebrowed heleia Heleia superciliaris montane Sumbawa and Flores (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands) Crested heleia Heleia dohertyi Sumbawa to Flores (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands) Timor heleia Heleia muelleri Timor (east Lesser Sunda Islands) Thick-billed heleia Heleia crassirostris Sumbawa and Flores (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands) Yellow-spectacled heleia Heleia wallacei Sumbawa to Sumba and Lembata (west, central Lesser Sunda Islands)
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