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Japanese White-eye

Zosterops japonicusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: White-eyes (Zosteropidae)

Japanese White-eye Portrait
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General

Japanese White-eye: Small songbird with olive-green upperparts and a prominent white eyering. Chin, throat and undertail coverts light yellow, belly off-white with dusky wash on sides and flanks. Gray wings and tail are outlined in green. Sexes are similar, juveniles are indistinguishable from adults 30 days after hatching.

Range and Habitat

Japanese White-eye: Abundant and widespread on all main islands in wet forests and suburban areas from sea level to the tree line.

Voice Text

"tseet, tseet"

Interesting Facts

  • The Japanese White-eye is the most common bird in the Hawaiian Islands.
  • It was introduced to Hawaii as a means of pest control in 1929.
  • This bird has become a carrier of avian parasites that contribute to the decline of native species.
  • A group of white-eyes are collectively known as a "spectacle" and a "ring" of white-eyes.


Author

Crystal Adams

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Range Map for Japanese White-eye
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Zosterops japonicus
Length4 - 4.5 Inches
Wingspan Inches

Japanese White-eye

Japanese White-eye: Small and active, this introduced songbird has olive-green upperparts and a prominent white eyering. Chin, throat and undertail coverts light yellow, belly off-white with dusky wash on sides and flanks. Gray wings and tail are outlined in green. Legs, feet, and bill are black.

● Song: "tseet, tseet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Japanese White-eye: Forages at all heights and eats a variety of fruits and nectar as well as insects. May hawk for flying insects. Since this bird eats a large variety of exotic fruit it widely disperses seeds of invasive plants such as raspberries and blackberries in native forests.

● Breeding & nesting: Japanese White-eye: Three to four white eggs are incubated for 11 days in a cup-shaped nest of fibers and grasses. Both parents incubate and tend to the nest. Will raise up to three clutches per season.

● Similar species: Japanese White-eye: Hawaii Creeper, Hawaii Amakihi, Alauahio, Akeke'e, and Anianiau all share olive-green and yellow coloring, however they lack the white eye-ring, buff flanks, and off-white belly.

Flight Pattern

Undulates, actively flits and swoops among foliage.
Japanese White-eye Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Japanese White-eye: Abundant and widespread on all main islands in wet forests and suburban areas from sea level to the tree line.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationExpanding
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight0.39 Ounces