Bird Album
Cape White-eye
Zosterops virens Sundevall, 1850
11 gWeight
The Cape white-eye (Zosterops virens) is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho
Where and when it's recorded
Cape White-eye has been recorded at 97 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Kirstenbosch Botanical GardenSouth Africa2,995 records
- Harold Porter Botanical GardensSouth Africa1,045 records
- Rietvlei NRSouth Africa662 records
More places
- Rondevlei NRSouth Africa604 records
- Walter Sisulu National Botanical GardenSouth Africa589 records
- Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa512 records
- Boulders BeachSouth Africa508 records
- Eshowe – Dlinza ForestSouth Africa481 records
- Kirstenhof WetlandSouth Africa475 records
- Rooi-ElsSouth Africa371 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Cape white-eye (Zosterops virens) is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is native to southern Africa. It is commonly found in suburbia, parks and gardens, besides a variety of mesic to well-watered habitats.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Cape White-eye?
The Cape White-eye weighs around 11 g.
Where does the Cape White-eye live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho.
When is the best time to see the Cape White-eye?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Cape White-eye endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Cape White-eye as Least Concern.
What does the Cape White-eye eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Cape White-eye in?
It belongs to the family White-eyes (Zosteropidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 11 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 58 mm
- Tail
- 48 mm
- Bill
- 13 mm
- Tarsus
- 18 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- White-eyes Zosteropidae
- Genus
- Zosterops
Other birds in the genus Zosterops
Sri Lanka White-eyeZosterops ceylonensis
Yellowish White-eyeZosterops nigrorum
Black-capped White-eyeZosterops atricapilla
Abyssinian White-eyeZosterops abyssinicus
Pale White-eyeZosterops flavilateralis
Mbulu White-eyeZosterops mbuluensis
Chestnut-flanked White-eyeZosterops erythropleurus
Swinhoe's White-eyeZosterops simplex
Mountain BlackeyeZosterops emiliae
Warbling White-eyeZosterops japonicus
Indian White-eyeZosterops palpebrosus
Lowland White-eyeZosterops meyeni
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by John Gale. ↗
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