Silvereye
Zosterops lateralis
The distinctive white 'spectacles' around their eyes are actually composed of tiny, specialized feathers.
- Scientific name
- Zosterops lateralis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Zosteropidae › Zosterops
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Found in a wide range of environments including rainforests, scrublands, orchards, and suburban gardens.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; primarily feeds on insects, nectar, and small fruits like grapes and figs.
- Range
- Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, French Polynesia
- Size
- Small passerine, 10-12 cm in length, weighing 10-13 grams.
- Lifespan
- Typically 7 to 10 years in the wild.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Predation by domestic cats and invasive rats; habitat loss in certain localized regions.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless and highly active. Observe from a distance with binoculars to see their social interactions. Keep domestic cats indoors to prevent predation on these small birds.
The silvereye or wax-eye ( Zosterops lateralis ) is a very small omnivorous passerine bird of the south-west pacific. In Australia and New Zealand its common name is sometimes white-eye , but this name is more commonly used to refer to all members of the genus Zosterops , or the entire family Zosteropidae.
Photo: BIHNZ, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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