The Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) is a small passerine bird native to East Asia. It is also known as the mejiro bird in Japanese. Here are some key facts about this species:
Quick Facts
- Scientific Name: Zosterops japonicus
- Other Common Names: Mejiro, White-eye
- Size: 4-5 inches long
- Weight: 5-12 grams
- Wingspan: 7-8 inches
- Color: Olive green upperparts, white underside, white eye-ring
- Lifespan: Up to 12 years
- Diet: Insects, fruit, nectar
- Range: Eastern Asia – Japan, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia
- Habitat: Broadleaf and coniferous forests, parks, gardens
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
The Japanese white-eye is a small, active bird with bright olive upperparts and a distinctive white eye-ring. As their name suggests, these birds have conspicuous white rings around their eyes. The eye-ring is more noticeable in adults and less prominent in juveniles.
Identification
The Japanese white-eye has olive green upperparts and greyish white underparts. The wings and tail are olive green too with yellowish wing edgings. The slender bill is black, and the legs are dark grey. Males and females look alike. Juveniles have a less prominent eye ring, greener upperparts, and buff flanks.
This species can be confused with similar looking warblers or vireos. However, the distinct white eye-ring helps distinguish the Japanese white-eye. They are small, short-tailed birds that actively flit around in search of food. Their flocks move quickly through the trees and bushes while foraging.
Distribution and Habitat
The Japanese white-eye is native to temperate regions of East Asia. Their breeding range includes Japan, Taiwan, eastern China, and southeast Russia. They are also found through southeast Asia in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. The Japanese white-eye has been successfully introduced to other parts of the world as well including Hawaii, California, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and South Africa.
This species occupies a variety of wooded habitats across its range including broadleaf deciduous forests, coniferous forests, bamboo groves, mangrove forests, parks, and gardens. They prefer locations with plentiful shrubs and trees. In Japan, these birds are common in parks and gardens in urban and suburban areas.
Behavior and Diet
The Japanese white-eye is a highly social, active bird that feeds in large flocks most of the year. They form monospecific flocks often with 15-30 birds moving together through foliage searching for small insects, spiders, fruit, and nectar. This species has a broad diet feeding on beetles, moths, aphids, mealybugs, flies, scale insects, bees, wasps, and more.
Flocks maintain contact through constant soft calls between flock members. These vocalizations include metallic chipping calls and high pitched descending whines. The Japanese white-eye is non-territorial and flocks have loose boundaries that may overlap with other flocks.
Reproduction and Breeding
The breeding season of Japanese white-eyes varies across their range. In Japan, they nest from March to July. In tropical areas, breeding may occur year-round if resources allow.
Both sexes participate in choosing nest sites, often near the tops of trees 10-20 feet above ground. The nest is a delicate cup built from grass, plant fibers, spiderwebs, lichens, and moss. It may have feathers or fur lining the inner cup.
Females lay between 2-5 eggs which are pale blue with reddish-brown speckles. The female incubates the eggs for 10-16 days before they hatch. Both parents feed the nestlings. The young fledge the nest at 10-16 days old. Japanese white-eyes may raise 2-3 broods per year.
Breeding Season | March to July (Japan) Year-round in tropics |
---|---|
Clutch Size | 2-5 eggs |
Incubation Period | 10-16 days |
Fledging Period | 10-16 days |
Broods per Year | 2-3 |
Conservation Status
The Japanese white-eye has a large global population estimated between 1-10 million individuals. Its breeding range covers over 1 million square kilometers (386,000 square miles). Given its large and widespread population, this species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
In parts of their native range, Japanese white-eyes are caught for the cage bird trade. They adapt readily to captivity. Habitat loss in some regions has caused local declines in population. However, this has not significantly impacted global numbers. Introduced populations of this bird are often viewed unfavorably as agricultural pests or threats to native species. Despite local impacts, Japanese white-eyes remain common songbirds in East Asia.
Fun Facts
Here are a few interesting facts about the Japanese white-eye bird:
- They got their name from the conspicuous white eye-ring that goes all the way around the eye.
- Japanese white-eyes are very social and travel in noisy flocks of 15 to 30 birds throughout the year.
- They have a broad diet feeding on insects and spiders as well as nectar, fruits and berries. Their curved bill is adapted for picking insects off leaves.
- Males and females sing a high-pitched descending call to communicate with flock members and attract mates.
- They are talented singers and readily learn new vocalizations – this makes them popular as cage birds.
- Japanese white-eyes have been introduced to Hawaii, California and other regions by people who wanted to establish their pleasant songs in new areas.
Conclusion
In summary, the Japanese white-eye is a small, active songbird best known for the white rings around its eyes. A highly social species, they move through forests in large flocks while feeding on insects, fruit and nectar. Japanese white-eyes breed in spring and summer, building delicate cup nests and raising multiple broods. Native to East Asia, they have also been successfully introduced to new habitats around the world. With a large global population, the Japanese white-eye remains a common sight in parks and gardens across its range. The next time you come across a flock of cute green songbirds with white eye rings, listen for their cheerful voices – it’s likely to be Japanese white-eyes!