The Louisiade white-eye or islet white-eye is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea, where it is found on widely disjunct islets on both the Bismarck and Louisiade archipelagos.
Region
Melanesia (Papua New Guinea)
Typical Environment
Occurs on widely separated small islets across the Louisiade and Bismarck archipelagos of Papua New Guinea. It favors coastal thickets, strand vegetation, mangroves, and edges of lowland forest. The species also frequents coconut plantations, gardens, and secondary growth on coral cays. Because it is confined to tiny islands, suitable habitat can be patchy and localized. Its distribution is highly disjunct, with different islets hosting small, isolated subpopulations.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 400 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the islet white-eye, this tiny passerine is confined to scattered offshore islets of Papua New Guinea in the Louisiade and Bismarck archipelagos. Its conspicuous white eye-ring and active foraging make it easy to spot in coastal scrub and gardens. Populations are naturally fragmented, which can make them vulnerable to invasive predators and severe storms. It often adapts well to human-altered habitats like coconut groves.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it often moves in small, chattering parties that weave through foliage. During breeding, pairs defend small territories and build neat cup nests hidden in shrubs. Both parents typically share incubation and feeding duties. On small islets, groups may range together along vegetated edges.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of thin, high-pitched twitters and trills interspersed with brief buzzy notes. Calls are soft contact chips used to keep flocks together. The overall song is fast, tinkling, and variable.
Plumage
Compact white-eye with olive-green upperparts and greyish to pale underparts, often with a yellow-tinged throat and vent. Feathers are smooth and sleek, giving a neat appearance. The hallmark is a bold, complete white orbital ring.
Diet
Takes small insects, spiders, and other arthropods gleaned from leaves and twigs. Also consumes nectar and small fruits or berries when available, making it an opportunistic feeder. Foraging is mostly in the shrub layer and lower canopy, often methodical and continuous. It may join mixed-species flocks to exploit insect flushes.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along dense coastal scrub, mangrove edges, and garden hedges. Coconut groves and secondary growth provide abundant flowering and fruiting resources. It often works sheltered edges where wind-exposed vegetation concentrates insects.
