Christmas White-eye (Zosterops natalis)

Other Names (World)
Christmas White-eye, Christmas Island White-eye, Christmas Island Silvereye

Family
Zosteropidae (White-eyes And Yuhinas)

Size
11 - 12 cm

First Described (Guide)
Lister, 1889

Derivation
Zös-tër'-ops - Gk, zoster, belt; Gk, ops, face: natalis - N.L., of Christmas Island

Habitat
Natural forests, settlement gardens.

Range (Guide)

Christmas Island (B) (NB).

Christmas I (Indian Ocean). Introduced on Horsburgh I, in southern Cocos Is.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 20,000 (2010) and stable.

Status NT
Loss of habitat by mining is the main threat.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Mainly fruit. Sometimes seeds, nectar or insects.

Voice
Song is a thin, high-pitched or loud 'yerr yerr weet yerr yerr yerr tyert weet ..'. A short, high-pitched twitter uttered in contact. A loud, agitated 'tsirr... tsir' in alarm. Seldom heard.

(23Kb) © ? (1)

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (1)...)

Christmas White-eye (Zosterops natalis) [XC69783]
by Frank Lambert from Christmas Island, Australia (call)

Christmas White-eye (Zosterops natalis) [XC69781]
by Frank Lambert from Christmas Island, Australia (call)

Nest
Cup-shaped, composed dry grass and other coarse plant material, occasionally some feathers or dry leaves, lined with dry palm fibers, suspended by the rim and firmly attached to a fork of a thin branch of a shrub or tree, and occasionally high up in tall trees.

Eggs (Guide)
2 - 3; lustreless, blue-green; oval; 17.5 x 12.5 mm. Incubation: 15 - 16 days.

Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 17 days.

Subspecies
No subspecies.

Resembles Annobon White-eye (Zosterops griseovirescens) of Gulf of Guinea (western Africa) in appearance.

Similar Species
Vagrant Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) are possible.

References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

Files:

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