The pale white-eye also known as Kenya white-eye is a bird species in the family Zosteropidae. It is found in Kenya, eastern Tanzania, southern Ethiopia and southern Somalia.
Region
East Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Ethiopia and southern Somalia through much of Kenya into eastern Tanzania. It favors dry bushland, acacia–commiphora scrub, coastal thickets, wooded savanna, and edges of cultivation. It also visits gardens and parks where flowering shrubs and fruiting trees are available. The species is generally sedentary, with local movements tracking food availability.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
A small, lively white-eye with the characteristic bold white eye-ring, it forages nimbly through shrubs and trees. Often traveling in chattering flocks, it readily joins mixed-species parties. It adapts well to gardens and coastal thickets and may assist pollination while sipping nectar. Formerly treated within the Abyssinian white-eye complex, many authorities now recognize it as the Kenya (Pale) white-eye.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick, undulating dashes between perches
Social Behavior
Commonly seen in small, noisy flocks and frequently joins mixed-species foraging parties. Pairs form during the breeding season and build neat cup nests suspended in shrubs or small trees. Both sexes participate in nest building and chick rearing.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A fast, tinkling series of high-pitched notes interspersed with soft trills. Contact calls are thin, sibilant chips given continuously while foraging.
Plumage
Olive to yellow-olive upperparts with pale grayish-white underparts washed yellow on the throat and flanks; clean, conspicuous white orbital ring. The vent often shows a yellowish tinge and the wings can appear slightly duskier with olive edges.
Diet
Feeds on small insects and other arthropods gleaned from foliage and twigs. Also takes nectar from blossoms such as aloes and other flowering shrubs, and consumes soft fruits and berries when available. Occasionally hawks tiny insects in short sallies from perches.
Preferred Environment
Forages in mid- to upper-level foliage of shrubs and small trees, along woodland edges, and in coastal thickets. Readily exploits suburban gardens with flowering plants and fruiting trees.
