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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 In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
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. In New Zealand, the silvereye was first recorded in 1832. It arrived in greater numbers in 1856, and it is assumed that a migrating flock was swept eastwards by a storm. As an apparently self-introduced bird it is protected as a native New Zealand species. Its
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
name, , means "stranger" or more literally, "new arrival".


Taxonomy

The silvereye was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the
binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Sylvia lateralis''. There are 17
subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
: * ''Z. l. chlorocephalus'' A. J. Campbell & S. A. White, 1910 ( Capricorn silvereye)– Capricorn and Bunker Group, central Queensland,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
* ''Z. l. chloronotus'' Gould, 1841 ( western silvereye) – south-west Western Australia from Carnarvon southwards coastally and subcoastally to South Australia at the head of the Great Australian Bight * ''Z. l. cornwalli'' Mathews, 1912 – east-central and south-east Queensland to north-east New South Wales * ''Z. l. flaviceps'' Peale, 1848 –
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
* ''Z. l. griseonota'' G. R. Gray, 1859 –
New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
* ''Z. l. lateralis'' (Latham, 1801) – Flinders Island, Tasmania;
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
; New Zealand and Chatham Islands; also a non-breeding migrant to continental south-eastern Australia * ''Z. l. macmillani'' Mayr, 1937 – Tanna and Aniwa Islands (southern Vanuatu) * ''Z. l. melanops'' G. R. Gray, 1860 –
Lifou Lifou is a communes of France, commune of France in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean. Geography Lifou is made up of Lifou Island, the largest and most heavily populated of the Loyalty Islands, its smaller neig ...
, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia * ''Z. l. nigrescens'' F. Sarasin, 1913 – Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia * ''Z. l. ochrochrous'' Schodde & Mason, 1999 –
King Island King Island, Kings Island or King's Island may refer to: Australia * King Island (Queensland) * King Island, at Wellington Point, Queensland * King Island (Tasmania) ** King Island Council, the local government area that contains the Tasmanian is ...
, Tasmania * ''Z. l. pinarochrous'' Schodde & Mason, 1999 – south-east South Australia, south-west New South Wales and western Victoria * ''Z. l. tephropleurus'' Gould, 1855 (
Lord Howe silvereye The Lord Howe silvereye (''Zosterops lateralis tephropleurus''), also known as the Lord Howe white-eye, Lord Howe Island white-eye or, locally, as the "Little Grinnell", is a small bird in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae. It is a subspecies o ...
) – Lord Howe Island * ''Z. l. tropicus'' Mees, 1969 –
Torres Islands The Torres Islands are in the Torba Province of the country of Vanuatu, and is that country’s the northernmost island group. The chain of islands that make up this micro-archipelago straddles the broader cultural boundary between Island Melane ...
and Banks Islands (except Mota Lava), and Malo and Espíritu Santo, north-west Vanuatu * ''Z. l. valuensis'' Murphy & Mathews, 1929 – Mota Lava, Banks Islands, Vanuatu * ''Z. l. vatensis'' Tristram, 1879 – central and southern Vanuatu * ''Z. l. vegetus'' E. J. O. Hartert, 1899 – north-east Queensland * ''Z. l. westernensis'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1830) – south-east New South Wales to eastern Victoria


Description

A small bird 11 to 13 cm in length and around 10 g in weight, it has a conspicuous ring of white feathers around its eye. There are a number of plumage variations depending on the sub-species. Generally it has olive-green wings and either a grey or olive-green back, a lighter coloured throat - yellow or grey, flanks that range from chestnut to pale buff, and an undertail that may be white or yellow. Within Australia there are seasonal migrations and the ranges of the sub-species overlap. The other islands within its range tend to host only a single sub-species each so only one plumage variant is seen.


Distribution and habitat

The silvereye is native to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands of Lord Howe,
New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. It is common to abundant throughout the relatively fertile south-west and south-east parts of Australia (including Tasmania and the
Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...
islands), and through the well-watered coastal zone of tropical Queensland, including Cape York Peninsula The silvereye is liable to be found in any vegetated area, apart from open grasslands, within its distribution range, including forest, scrub, horticultural blocks and urban gardens.


Feeding

The silvereye feeds on insect prey and large amounts of fruit and nectar, making them occasional pests of commercial orchards.


Behaviour

Silvereyes breed in spring and early summer (mainly between September and December), making a tiny cup of grass, moss, hair, spiderweb, and thistledown, suspended from a branch fork in the outer reaches of small trees or shrubs. They lay two to four pale blue eggs, and two (or sometimes three) broods may be raised during each breeding season. The eggs hatch after about 11 days, and the young fledge after another 10 days. The juveniles are independent at 3 weeks and able to breed at 9 months. In late summer silvereyes gather into flocks and many Australian birds
migrate Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
, making their way north along the coast and ranges, foraging busily during the day with much calling and quick movement through the shrubbery, then flying long distances through the night. Most of the Tasmanian population crosses the
Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...
(an astonishing feat for 12 cm birds weighing only a few grams) and disperses into Victoria, New South Wales, and south-eastern Queensland. The populations of these areas tend to head further north; while the northernmost birds remain resident all year round. In western Australia they have been recorded moving between the mainland and offshore islands. Silvereyes are omnivorous with a diet that includes insects, berries, fruit and nectar. In New Zealand they take fruit from native trees including kahikatea, and rimu. When food is scarce in winter they will take a wide variety of foods from
bird table A birdfeeder, bird table, or tray feeder are devices placed outdoors to supply bird food to birds (bird feeding). The success of a bird feeder in attracting birds depends upon its placement and the kinds of foods offered, as different species h ...
s, ranging from sugar water through bread and cooked meats, to solid lumps of fat.


Relationship with humans


Horticulture

They perform a valuable service in gardens and orchards, eating insects harmful to produce, including aphids, scale insects, and the diamondback moth. However, some orchardists, grape growers and home gardeners regard them as a serious pest particularly as, being so small, they simply ignore bird nets, popping in and out through the netting at will. They are attracted to a wide range of fruit species, including apples, citrus, feijoas, figs, grapes, pears and persimmons.


In literature

A silvereye features as the main character, Honey, in the illustrated children's books ''Honey and Bear'', ''Special Days with Honey and Bear'' and ''The Honey and Bear Stories'', by Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrated by
Ron Brooks Ron Brooks (born October 16, 1988) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU. He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Die ...
. In Brooks' 2010 memoir ''Drawn from the Heart'' he describes how he was inspired by a silvereye he saw in his Tasmanian garden - "those large silver rings with a fine black line around the outer edge, right round the eyes ... She's perfect, I thought. That's her! That's Honey."Ron Brooks (2010) "Drawn from the Heart" Allen and Unwin, Melbourne. p 237


References


Notes


Sources

*


External links


Videos, photos and sounds
- Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q313394 Zosterops Birds of Oceania Birds of Victoria (Australia) Birds described in 1801 Taxa named by John Latham (ornithologist) Articles containing video clips