These little birds are cute -- cute faces, cute voices, cute antics, and they are everywhere on Maui. Unfortunately, Japanese White-eyes (
Zosterops japonicus) aren't native to the Hawaiian islands, and they are causing problems for native birds. These cheerful little birds were introduced to O'ahu in 1929 and Hawaii in 1937 to help with bug control. Since then they have become invasive and are now one of the most abundant birds in the Hawaiian Islands...
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| Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) in a plumeria tree. |
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| Japanese White-eyes are also called by their Japanese name, Mejiro. |
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| ...that white eye ring stands out against the yellow and olive-green feathers! |
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| A cute bird in a beautiful plumeria tree... |
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| If you visit Maui, you'll see one of these sweet birds. They live in all environments, wet, dry, urban, suburban, rural, and even on the way up the volcano! |
Click here for more information on White-eyes in Hawaii, including one positive benefit of their presence...Japanese White-eyes might be able to be "replacement pollinators" for certain plants that used to be pollinated by native species of birds that have become extinct.
I photographed this bird on 6-28-2013 on Maui.