Japanese white eye, Zosterops japonicus, also known as the mejiro, photographed at Hong Kong, China.
Image: Marie Louise Ng, 23 February 2011 [velociraptorize].
Nikon D7000, 500/4
Question: This lovely little songbird is a common pet throughout much of Asia and the islands of the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Can you tell me which taxonomic family it belongs to? Can you identify this species?
Response: This is an adult Japanese white eye, Zosterops japonicus, more commonly known by its Japanese name, mejiro ("white eye" in Japanese). They prefer disturbed, or "edge" habitats, and are quite tolerant of humans. These tiny omnivorous birds move quickly and are talented acrobats, often hanging upside down or in a variety of orientations as they search for food. Besides being social and easy to tame, mejiros are useful birds; consuming large numbers of noxious insects and larvae, thus helping to keep insect populations in check.
Mejiros are small passerines in the taxonomic family, zosteropidae. This closely-related group of songbirds are known as "white-eyes" because adults have a distinctive white ring around both eyes (this ring is not always present on juveniles). Mejiros have a range of colours, from olive to dusky green, with blackish brown outlined in green covering the top of the tail and flight feathers. The underside of the tail, the forehead and the chin are yellow. The throat is also yellow but may have a single band of smokey grey. The breast and belly are creamy white, becoming dusky brown on sides and flanks. The slightly decurved bill is black and the feet and legs are also black.
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