CreatureData

Silvereye

Zosterops lateralis (Latham, 1802)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) is a species in the family Zosteropidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 10.8 g to 12.7 g and live up to 8.17 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the silvereye

Weight
10.8 g – 12.7 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
8.17 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
11.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.15src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
11.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the silvereye

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the silvereye live?

Not recorded

What is the silvereye?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The silvereye or wax-eye (Zosterops lateralis), also known by its Māori name tauhou, is a very small omnivorous passerine bird of the south-west Pacific. In Australia and New Zealand its common name is sometimes white-eye, but this name is more commonly used to refer to all members of the genus Zosterops, or the entire family Zosteropidae.

In New Zealand, the silvereye was first recorded in 1832. It arrived in greater numbers in 1856, and it is assumed that a migrating flock was swept eastwards by a storm. As an apparently self-introduced bird it is protected as a native New Zealand species. Its Māori name, tauhou, means "stranger" or more literally, "new arrival".

From the Wikipedia article “Silvereye” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silvereye&oldid=1353131601), 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 silvereye endangered?

The silvereye is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  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 Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the silvereye classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyZosteropidae
  6. genusZosterops
  7. SpeciesZosterops lateralis (Latham, 1802)

Synonyms Sylvia lateralis

Other names and names in other languages (40)
  • Silver-eyeEnglish
  • Wax-eyeEnglish
  • zostèrops de dors grisCatalan
  • kruhoočko australopacifickéCzech
  • llygadwyn cefnllwydWelsh
  • Grårygget BrillefuglDanish
  • Graumantel-BrillenvogelGerman
  • ArĝentokululoEsperanto
  • grizdorsa zosteropoEsperanto
  • Pájaro de anteojosSpanish
  • Anteojitos dorsigrísSpanish
  • hopearilliFinnish
  • Zostérops à dos grisFrench
  • Zosterops à dos grisFrench
  • australska bjelookaCroatian
  • ezüstös pápaszemesmadárHungarian
  • Occhio d'argentoItalian
  • Occhialino dorsogrigioItalian
  • ハイムネメジロJapanese
  • pilkanugaris baltavokisLithuanian
  • TauhouMāori
  • Сребрена белоочкаMacedonian
  • GrijsrugbrilvogelDutch
  • gråbrystbrillefuglNorwegian
  • szlarnik rdzawobocznyPolish
  • چاندی اکھWestern Panjabi
  • olho-branco-de-dorso-cinzentoPortuguese
  • Серебряная белоглазкаRussian
  • Австралийская белоглазкаRussian
  • okánik pláštikovýSlovak
  • SrebrookaSerbian
  • Gråryggad glasögonfågelSwedish
  • gråryggig glasögonfågelSwedish
  • ViniTahitian
  • రజతాక్షిTelugu
  • Gri Sırtlı GözlükçüTurkish
  • окулярник сивоспиннийUkrainian
  • 灰胸繡眼Chinese
  • 灰胸繡眼鳥Chinese
  • 灰胸绣眼鸟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the silvereye

Other species in the same genus Zosterops.

CompareSilvereye vs Indian white-eyeSilvereye vs Warbling white-eyeSilvereye vs Mauritius olive white-eyeSilvereye vs Chestnut-flanked white-eye

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the silvereye?

An adult silvereye weighs 10.8 g – 12.7 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the silvereye endangered?

The silvereye is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the silvereye live?

The silvereye has a recorded lifespan of 8.17 years.

What kind of animal is the silvereye?

The silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) 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). Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/silvereye

MLA

“Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/silvereye.

BibTeX
@misc{silvereye_2026,
  title = {Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/silvereye},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}