The Fiji white-eye (Zosterops explorator) is a species of passerine bird in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. The species is also known as Layard's white-eye.[2]

Fiji white-eye
In forest at De Voeux Peak on Taveuni
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Zosteropidae
Genus: Zosterops
Species:
Z. explorator
Binomial name
Zosterops explorator
Layard, 1875
Range highlighted in red
Illustrated by Joseph Smit (1881)

It is endemic to the islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kadavu, and Ovalau in Fiji, where it is a common bird of forests.[3] Where it co-occurs with the closely related silvereye it is more common in denser forest.

It is a typical small white-eye of the genus Zosterops, similar in appearance to the silvereye, although the plumage is much yellower, it is chunkier and has a complete eye-ring.[3] The back is olive green and the throat and belly yellow. The call is described as "a high pitched seeu-seeu".

The Fiji white-eye feeds by gleaning insects from shrubs and trees. It will join mixed-species feeding flocks with other Fijian birds, including silvereyes. It also feeds lower down in the trees than silvereyes.[4]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Zosterops explorator". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22714238A94407690. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22714238A94407690.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Pacific Birds (2001) List of the Birds of Fiji. Downloaded 22 July 2008
  3. ^ a b Pratt, H., Bruner, P & Berrett, D. (1987) The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific Princeton University Press:Princeton ISBN 0-691-08402-5
  4. ^ Langham (1989) "Stratification of passerines in Fijian forests Archived 2008-10-17 at the Wayback Machine". Notornis 36 (4): 267-285