The Christmas white-eye is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Christmas Island. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
Region
Eastern Indian Ocean
Typical Environment
Occurs across Christmas Island in tropical evergreen forest, secondary growth, and coastal shrubland. It uses forest edges, clearings, and gardens near settlements, foraging from understory to canopy. The species adapts to a mosaic of native forest and disturbed habitats, though intact rainforest remains important. It is strictly insular and not found off the island.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 360 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small white-eye is confined to Australia’s Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. It plays an important role as an insect controller, pollinator, and seed disperser. Main threats include habitat degradation and invasive species, notably the yellow crazy ant, which alters forest dynamics.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it forms small, chatty flocks that move quickly through foliage. Pairs are monogamous during breeding, building a small cup nest suspended in a fork. Both parents incubate and feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A thin, high-pitched series of twitters and trills delivered in rapid phrases. Calls include sharp contact notes used to keep flock cohesion while foraging.
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts with a yellow throat and vent, and whitish underparts; smooth, close-lying feathers typical of white-eyes.
Diet
Takes small insects, spiders, and other arthropods gleaned from leaves and twigs. Also consumes nectar from flowering trees and shrubs, and soft fruits. Will opportunistically sip from cultivated blooms and feed on small berries, aiding local pollination and seed dispersal.
Preferred Environment
Forages in forest edges, canopy gaps, and shrub layers, often in mixed-species flocks. It readily uses secondary growth and gardens where flowering plants are available.
