Zosterops simplex
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
Swinhoe's white-eye (Zosterops simplex) is a bird species in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae. It is found in eastern China, Taiwan, north Vietnam, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. Additionally, populations have also been introduced to Southern California, where their population has been expanding rapidly.
Swinhoe's white-eye was formally described in 1861 by the English naturalist Robert Swinhoe, who assigned it the binomial name Zosterops simplex. The genus Zosterops had been introduced by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek words zōstēros meaning "belt" or "girdle" and ōpos meaning "eye". The specific epithet simplex is Latin meaning "simple" or "plain".
This species was previously considered a subspecies group of the Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus), but based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018, it was elevated it to full species status.
Five subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 3 | Zhuhai [Macau] | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Kaohsiung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 6 | Xiamen City | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 7 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 8 | Guangzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Shantou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 10 | Fuzhou | 🇨🇳 China |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leofoo Village Theme Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 4 | Reptile House | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Swinhoe’s White-eye sighting in Zhuhai [Macau] on a given day, based on 111 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 48 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Swinhoe’s White-eye in Zhuhai [Macau] on a given day, against about 70% in October, the lowest month. That is one of Zhuhai [Macau]'s wettest months, with about 200 mm of rain against 20 mm in December.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Swinhoe’s White-eye sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 45
Of the 45 cities where we can rate Swinhoe’s White-eye sightings, Zhuhai [Macau] ranks 3rd at about 80%. The best odds are in Hanoi (Vietnam, about 90%) and Taichung (Taiwan, about 90%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Swinhoe’s White-eye that you can see in Zhuhai [Macau] (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Light-vented Bulbul (over 90%), Red-whiskered Bulbul (about 80%) and Eurasian Tree Sparrow (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Swinhoe’s White-eye is recorded against all the birds logged in Zhuhai [Macau] (111 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
