Résumé
Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci were characterized in order to investigate an extreme case of microgeographical variation in an island-dwelling passerine (Zosterops borbonicus). Variation was examined in two distinct natural populations of 27 individuals each. The loci displayed 5-20 alleles, with observed heterozygosities ranging between 0.33 and 0.93. All but one loci (Z16) conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. None of the pairwise comparisons among loci showed significant linkage disequilibrium after sequential Bonferonni correction. Successful cross-species amplification in additional Zosterops species and other passerines suggests their broad applicability.