Zosterops cinereus
The Kosrae White-eye, *Zosterops cinereus*, is a critically endangered passerine endemic to the isolated volcanic island of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia. This small yet relatively robust white-eye measures approximately 11-13 cm in length, boasting a plumage of dark olive-green upperparts that contrast with pale yellowish-white underparts, becoming whiter on the belly and sometimes tinged buff on the flanks. A distinguishing, though often faint or broken, whitish orbital ring ...
This species exclusively inhabits native montane cloud forest and moist broadleaf forest on Kosrae Island, primarily found at elevations between 300 and 600 meters above sea level.
Its diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates, which it gleans from foliage and bark, supplemented by nectar and small fruits.
The Kosrae White-eye is a diurnal species, typically observed singly, in pairs, or occasionally in small mixed-species foraging flocks within the forest canopy and subcanopy. It employs active foraging strategies, gleaning insects and small arthropods from foliage, probing into bark crevices, and...
The Kosrae White-eye is strictly endemic to the island of Kosrae, one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, located in the western Pacific Ocean. Its distribution is highly restricted to the remaining native montane cloud forest and moist broadleaf forest, predominantly at ele...
Critically Endangered
- The Kosrae White-eye is one of the world's most critically endangered bird species, with a population numbering only in the hundreds. - It is found exclusively on the single island of Kosrae in Micronesia, making it an extreme island endemic. - Historically, it was sometimes classified in the s...