CreatureData

Golden white-eye

Cleptornis marchei (Oustalet, 1889)

ENEndangeredsongbirds

The golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei) is a species in the family Zosteropidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 20.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei)
Photo: Peter · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the golden white-eye

Weight
20.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Frugivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the golden white-eye live?

Not recorded

What is the golden white-eye?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei) is a species of bird in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae. It is the only species within the genus Cleptornis. The golden white-eye was once considered to be a honeyeater in the family Meliphagidae and although it is now known to be a white-eye, its position within that family is still uncertain. The species is restricted to the islands of Saipan and Aguijan in the Northern Mariana Islands, where it is sympatric (shares its range) and competes with the related bridled white-eye. The golden white-eye has golden plumage and a pale eye-ring. It feeds on insects, fruit, and nectar and forages in pairs or small family groups. The bird is monogamous and lays two eggs in a small cup nest.

Fossil evidence shows the golden white-eye once also occurred on Tinian and Rota but was extirpated in those locations through the impact of human activities. Despite its current abundance on Saipan and Aguijan, and the fact that it has among the highest recorded densities for any bird, it is nevertheless considered to be Endangered. It is threatened by the invasive brown tree snake, which has become established on nearby Guam, and this predator is expected to cause a rapid decline in the population if it reaches Saipan. Efforts are under way to control the snakes and breed the white-eye in zoos.

From the Wikipedia article “Golden white-eye” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golden_white-eye&oldid=1380578023), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the golden white-eye endangered?

The golden white-eye is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the golden white-eye classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyZosteropidae
  6. genusCleptornis
  7. SpeciesCleptornis marchei (Oustalet, 1889)

Synonyms Ptilotis marchei

Other names and names in other languages (37)
  • Golden honeyeaterEnglish
  • أبيض العين الذهبيArabic
  • ক্লেপটরনিস মার্চেইBangla
  • Zosterop dauratCatalan
  • zostèrops dauratCatalan
  • CanarioChamorro
  • kruhoočko zlatéCzech
  • Gylden BrillefuglDanish
  • GoldbrillenvogelGerman
  • GoldhonigfresserGerman
  • ora zosteropoEsperanto
  • Anteojitos doradoSpanish
  • چشمسفید طلاییPersian
  • kultarilliFinnish
  • saipaninmesikkoFinnish
  • Zostérops doréFrench
  • zlatna bjelookaCroatian
  • aranyos pápaszemesmadárHungarian
  • Occhialino doratoItalian
  • オウゴンミツスイJapanese
  • auksinis baltavokisLithuanian
  • ഗോൾഡൻ വൈറ്റ്-ഐMalayalam
  • Nákʼeehgaii łitsxooígííNavajo
  • Gouden BrilvogelDutch
  • gyllenbrillefuglNorwegian
  • złotoszlarnikPolish
  • دورنگی چٹی اکھWestern Panjabi
  • olho-branco-douradoPortuguese
  • Золотой медососRussian
  • Золотистая тахоуRussian
  • okánik pôvabnýSlovak
  • Zlatna belookaSerbian
  • gyllenglasögonfågelSwedish
  • Altın Rengi GözlükçüTurkish
  • окулярник золотийUkrainian
  • 金绣眼鸟Chinese
  • 金色繡眼Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the golden white-eye

Other species in the same family Zosteropidae.

LC, Least Concern

Silvereye

Zosterops lateralis

ZosteropidaeNo free photo yet

NT, Near Threatened
Madanga (Madanga ruficollis)

Madanga

Madanga ruficollis

Zosteropidae

CompareGolden white-eye vs Indian white-eyeGolden white-eye vs SilvereyeGolden white-eye vs Warbling white-eyeGolden white-eye vs Bonin white-eye

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the golden white-eye?

An adult golden white-eye weighs 20.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the golden white-eye endangered?

The golden white-eye is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the golden white-eye?

The golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei) belongs to the family Zosteropidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/golden-white-eye

MLA

“Golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/golden-white-eye.

BibTeX
@misc{golden_white_eye_2026,
  title = {Golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/golden-white-eye},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}