Sri Lanka White-eye
Zosterops ceylonensis
The Sri Lanka White-eye (Zosterops ceylonensis) is a rare white-eyes, yuhinas, and alli found only in Sri Lanka, weighing about 13 g. The Sri Lanka white-eye is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family, which is endemic to Sri Lanka.
About the Sri Lanka White-eye
The Sri Lanka white-eye is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family, which is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a resident breeder in forests, gardens and plantations, mainly in the highlands.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This bird is slightly larger than the Indian white-eye (about 11 cm long) which it replaces above 4000 ft. The upper parts of the body and sides of neck are dark olive-green. The rump appears paler green while the crown and forehead appear darker. The wings and tail are brown edged with green on the back. The typical ring of tiny white feathers around the eye is present. The lores are dark and there is a dark streak below the eye. The chin, throat and upper breast are greenish-yellow as are the thighs and vent. The belly region is greyish white.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, July, August, October, November, December, with peak activity in December. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Sri Lanka White-eye?
- This bird is slightly larger than the Indian white-eye (about 11 cm long) which it replaces above 4000 ft. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Sri Lanka White-eye?
- The Sri Lanka White-eye is a tiny sized bird weighing about 13 g.
- Where can you see a Sri Lanka White-eye?
- The Sri Lanka White-eye is endemic to Sri Lanka, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Sri Lanka White-eye?
- The Sri Lanka White-eye is most easily confused with the Kikuyu White-eye, the Hume's White-eye and the Black-capped White-eye.
- Is the Sri Lanka White-eye endangered?
- The Sri Lanka White-eye is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Sri Lanka White-eye for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.