Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The Warbling White-eye is a small East Asian bird with olive-green upperparts, a yellow throat, and a bold white ring around each eye. Warbling White-eyes often travel in noisy flocks, searching leaves and flowers for insects, fruit, and nectar.

Appearance

Appearance: It is 3.9–4.5 in (10–11.5 cm) long, with olive-green upperparts, a yellow throat, pale gray underparts, and a thick white eyering broken by a small dark spot in front of the eye.
Voice: Calls and songs are high, thin twitters and warbling phrases.

Look-alikes

Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihiChlorodrepanis virens

A Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi has a thicker, more strongly curved bill and lacks the Warbling White-eye's bold white eyering. Adult males are usually brighter yellow below.

Why they get mixed upBoth are small greenish-yellow birds that move quickly through Hawaiian forest foliage.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: forest and woodland
parks and gardens
Hawaiian neighborhoods
montane forest
Range: It is native to eastern Asia and introduced throughout the main Hawaiian Islands. It was introduced to Hawaiʻi Island in 1937.
Seasonal presence: Year-round in Hawaiʻi
Preferred conditions: In Hawaiʻi it uses wet and dry habitats from sea level into the mountains, especially places with shrubs and trees that offer fruit, nectar, and insects.
When it’s recorded: Recorded year-round, every year
1,356 observations in the US · 10 years · for referenceChoose a state

Behavior

Diet: It searches leaves and flowers for insects, fruit, and nectar from low shrubs to the top of the canopy.
Activity: It moves quickly through foliage with short, bouncing flights and often hangs at odd angles to reach food.
Social life: It frequently travels in active, noisy flocks and gathers at fruiting trees.

Name and classification

About the name: In Hawaiʻi, the Warbling White-eye is still widely called the Japanese White-eye or mejiro.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Threats: In Hawaiʻi, introduced Warbling White-eyes compete with native birds, including Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens), for food and space.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: Hawaiʻi classifies white-eyes as , so their release and transport are regulated.

11 sources