Silvereye Silvereye

1. Distinctive white eye-ring

2. Olive-green head and wings with pale underparts

3. Chestnut or buff flanks, especially in Tasmanian migrants

Silvereyes are omnivorous, feeding on insects, spiders, fruit, berries, and nectar. Their brush-tipped tongues help them collect nectar, and their fondness for fruit sometimes brings them into conflict with orchardists. Breeding occurs mainly between September and January. Both parents build a delicate, cup-shaped nest of grass, moss, hair, and spiderweb, usually suspended in the outer foliage of shrubs or trees, 1–9 meters above ground. Females lay 2–4 pale blue eggs, and both parents share incubation and feeding duties. They can raise two or three broods per season. Pairs often remain together within winter flocks.

Silvereyes are found throughout coastal and subcoastal regions of Australia, New Zealand, and nearby Pacific islands, absent only from the arid interior. They inhabit any vegetated areagardens, forests, woodlands, mangroves, heathlands, and rainforest edges. They are especially common in areas with fruiting or flowering plants and are often seen foraging in small, chattering flocks. During winter, large flocks may include Tasmanian migrants with more prominent chestnut flanks.