[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

Birding Magazine is the publication of the American Birding Association and while its content is normally available only to dues-paying members, this article is currently open to all on the web.

As Swinhoe’s White-eye Zosterops simplex is now on the CBRC Official California Checklist, located between Wrentit and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, everyone – especially birders – should know more about these bright banana-colored birds, quickly spreading through SoCal. According to the California Bird Atlas as of 8/14/26, there are 93 confirmations of breeding for Swinhoe’s White-eye this year alone.

Meet the White-eyes!

By Rajan Rao
Birding Magazine, 12 Aug 2026

Excerpts from the article:

These gregarious, radiant, and active denizens of neighborhoods and forest edges in California and Hawaii, [Swinhoe’s and Warbling White-eyes] respectively, are the two species of white-eyes found in the ABA Area. Despite their abundance, their presence is relatively new.

Their shared genus Zosterops is widespread, spanning Africa to Australia and north to Asia, with their center of diversity across the many islands and islets of Oceania. Bas van Balen’s synopsis in Birds of the World illustrates how Zosterops began arriving at and speciating among these islands over two million years ago, resulting in 110 species in the genus today. Their amazing ability to colonize—earning the designation of a “supertramp” species…remains a distinguishing part of their identity.

Finally, in 2007, Swinhoe’s White-eyes were reported in Southern California, likely arriving due to the illegal pet trade. Around 2013, the first breeding record was confirmed, and today white-eyes are common throughout Southern California. Their established range extends from Isla Vista in Santa Barbara Co. down to Ensenada in northern Baja California and includes recent advances to the Channel Islands, according to eBird reports. As of 2026, their range in California seems to be restricted by the Transverse Ranges, similar to the resident Allen’s Hummingbird.

Part of what makes birds in the genus Zosterops so effective at dispersing is their favorable life history traits. They are able to have over three clutches per year, they are woodland generalists, and they have a flexible diet including frugivory, insectivory, and nectivory.