A small bird seen in Australia and other regions, with a conspicuous white eye-ring. It eats insects, fruit and nectar.
The head and wings are olive-green, the back gray and the underside gray-white. The flanks may be pale brown or chestnut.
Silvereyes can colonize islands, yet the sea can limit gene flow between breeding populations. Radu et al. compared 18,077 genetic markers in 89 birds from four places in southeast Queensland: the mainland sites of the Sunshine Coast and Maryborough, and the Great Barrier Reef islands of Heron and Lady Elliot.
The two mainland populations showed stronger genetic links than the island populations, even though the sites were a similar distance apart. Island birds were also distinct from mainland birds. Lady Elliot birds were more closely related to Heron Island birds than to mainland birds, supporting an island origin for the Lady Elliot population. This study compares four local populations in southeast Queensland, not the species across its full range.
IUCN Red List (BirdLife International listing) · Least Concern (LC) · Global
The latest IUCN Red List assessment by BirdLife International classifies the Silvereye as Least Concern (LC) globally. The latest assessment year is 2024.