Photo: Charles Lam / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Swinhoe’s White-eye
Zosterops simplex
Swinhoe's White-eye (Zosterops simplex) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 9 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Swinhoe’s White-eye (Zosterops simplex) is a member of the Zosteropidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 11.3 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Zosteropidae White-eyes
- Genus Zosterops
- Species simplex
Where it lives
Eastern China, Taiwan and northern Vietnam to Thai-Malay Pen. to Sumatra and Borneo
Quick facts
- Weight
- 11.3 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Zosteropidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Swinhoe’s White-eye is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Swinhoe’s White-eye is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Swinhoe’s White-eye (Zosterops simplex) belongs to the Zosteropidae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR e China, Taiwan and n Vietnam to Thai-Malay Pen. to Sumatra and Borneo.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 11.3 g, with a wing length of about 5.4 cm and a tail of around 3.7 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 3.8 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Swinhoe’s White-eye?
The Swinhoe’s White-eye is a very small bird that weighs around 11.3 g.
Where does the Swinhoe’s White-eye live?
The Swinhoe’s White-eye is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR e China, Taiwan and n Vietnam to Thai-Malay Pen. to Sumatra and Borneo, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Swinhoe’s White-eye belong to?
The Swinhoe’s White-eye (Zosterops simplex) belongs to the Zosteropidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Swinhoe’s White-eye eat?
The Swinhoe’s White-eye is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Swinhoe’s White-eye migrate?
The Swinhoe’s White-eye is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Swinhoe’s White-eye endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Swinhoe’s White-eye make?
1 real field recording of the Swinhoe’s White-eye — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Swinhoe’s White-eye's range?
The Swinhoe’s White-eye has a mapped global range of about 3.8 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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