Bird Guide

Indian White-eye vs Warbling White-eye

Indian White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus)

Indian White-eye

Zosterops palpebrosus

Tiny9 gForest

This bird is small (about 8–9 cm long) with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring, a yellow throat, and a vent. The belly is whitish-grey, but may be yellow in some subspecies. The sexes look similar. The species is widespread and belongs to a superspecies complex that includes Zosterops japonicus, Zosterops meyeni, and possibly others. The group's taxonomy is still unclear, with some island populations distinctive while others lack strong support. The population from Flores, Indonesia, for instance, is found closer to the pale white-eye.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ajay · CC BY 4.0
Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)

Warbling White-eye

Zosterops japonicus

Tiny11 gForest

The warbling white-eye is olive green on its back, from anterior to posterior, and is pale green on its underside. Its feet, legs, and bill range from black to brown. It has a green forehead and a yellow throat. The white-eye has rounded wings and a long, slender bill – both of which indicate this bird to be very acrobatic. Its wings are dark brown but outlined in green. Like other white-eyes, this species exhibits the distinctive white eyering that gives it its name (mejiro, as the bird is known in Japan, translates to "white eye"). Adults range from 4 to 4.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Peter Wilton · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Damien Wallace · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Indian White-eye and Warbling White-eye.