This grey white-eye lives on Kosrae. Adults lack the olive-brown back and flanks of the related Pohnpei bird and have a thin white eye-ring. Small flocks forage in forest, mangroves and other terrestrial habitats.
Adults are grey and lack the olive-brown back and flanks of Z. ponapensis on Pohnpei. The thin white eye-ring consists of a single row of feathers and may be hard to see on skins. One juvenile photographed on 22 June 2013 had a yellow bill and legs with dark blotches. Its greenish plumage tint may have resulted from lighting.
Hayes et al. describe it as a common resident that forages in small flocks across nearly every terrestrial habitat, including mangroves. Hayes observed one at 589 m near the summit of Mount Mutunte on 21 April 2013. The account distinguishes a nasal, reedy note from foraging birds or pairs from sharper calls of groups of five to seven moving between perches. The authors could not determine whether reported early-morning movement toward the interior was daily or seasonal.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.