Australian yellow white-eye

Zosterops luteus

Photo by Deane Lewis (Australian Nature Photography)

Common name:
Australian yellow white-eye (en); olho-branco-de-ventre-amarelo (pt); zostérops à ventre jaune (fr); anteojitos australiano (es); mangrovebrillenvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Zosteropidae

Range:
This species is found along the northern coast of Australia, from Shark Bay in north-western Western Australia to Townsville in north-eastern Queensland.

Size:
These birds are 9,5-12 cm long and weigh 8,5-11,5 g.

Habitat:
The Australian yellow white-eye is mostly found in mangroves and nearby swamps and marshes, but also use moist tropical forests and even gardens in coastal towns.

Diet:
They feed on various insects and their larvae, namely mosquitoes and midges, as well as spiders, snails and other small invertebrates, nectar, seeds and fruit pulp.

Breeding:
These birds can breed all year round, but mostly in September-March. The nest is a deep cup made of grasses, lined with fine roots and bound together with spider webs, and often with pieces of bark on the outside. It is placed in an horizontal fork of a mangrove tree overhanging water. The female lays 2-3 pale bluish-green or white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 9-12 days. The chicks fledge 10-11 days after hatching, but remain with their parents for another 2-3 weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be generally quite common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.