white-eye

white-eye
/hwuyt"uy', wuyt"-/, n., pl. white-eyes.
any of numerous small, chiefly tropical Old World songbirds of the family Zosteropidae, most of which have a ring of white feathers around the eye: several species are endangered. Also called silver-eye.
[1840-50]

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bird
 any of the 80 to 85 species of birds of the Old World family Zosteropidae (order Passeriformes). They are so much alike that about 60 of them are often lumped in a single genus, Zosterops. White-eyes occur chiefly from Africa across southern Asia to Australia and New Zealand in warm regions.

      All of the white-eyes are short-tailed, short-winged birds about 11 cm (4.5 inches) long. The bill is fine and pointed, and the tongue is brush-tipped. The plumage is plain grayish, brownish, or yellow-green (sexes alike). Its main mark is the eye-ring of tiny, soft, usually white feathers. White-eyes are strictly arboreal, feeding on insects, nectar, and sweet soft fruits; some, including those the Australians call blightbirds, destroy cultivated figs and grapes. White-eyes are active and, except when tending their cuplike nests, highly gregarious.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • White-eye — n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of several species of small Old World singing of the genus {Zosterops}, as {Zosterops palpebrosus} of India, and {Zosterops c[oe]rulescens} of Australia. The eyes are encircled by a ring of white feathers, whence the name …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • white-eye — [hwīt′ī΄, wīt′ī΄] n. any of a family (Zosteropidae) of small passerine birds of SE Asia, S Africa, Australia, etc., usually having rings of white feathers around the eyes …   English World dictionary

  • White-eye — Taxobox name = White eyes image width = 250px image caption = Silvereye ( Zosterops lateralis ), adult (right) and juveniles regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes subordo = Passeri familia = Zosteropidae… …   Wikipedia

  • white-eye — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun 1. a. : silvereye b. : white eyed vireo c. : white eyed duck a 2 …   Useful english dictionary

  • white-eye — /ˈwaɪt aɪ / (say wuyt uy) noun any of the numerous small, chiefly tropical, singing birds of Australia, southern Asia and some Pacific islands, constituting the family Zosteropidae, most species of which have a ring of white feathers round the… …  

  • White-eye (disambiguation) — White eye can refer to: *White eye (Zosteropidae), a large family of birds. *White eye (fish) (Oxyzygonectes dovii), a species of fish. *White eye mutation, a mutation in Drosophila melanogaster linked to the X chromosome, found by reciprocal… …   Wikipedia

  • White-chested White-eye — Taxobox name = White chested White eye regnum = Animalia status = CR status system = iucn2.3 image caption = White chested White eye (John Gould artwork) image width = 250px phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia =… …   Wikipedia

  • White-breasted White-eye — Taxobox name = White breasted White eye status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Zosteropidae genus = Zosterops species = Z. abyssinicus binomial = Zosterops… …   Wikipedia

  • White-throated White-eye — Taxobox name = White throated White eye status = DD | status system = IUCN3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Zosteropidae genus = Zosterops species = Z. meeki binomial = Zosterops meeki binomial… …   Wikipedia

  • white-chested white-eye — norfolkinis baltavokis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Zosterops albogularis angl. white chested white eye vok. Norfolkbrillenvogel, m rus. белогорлая белоглазка, f; норфолкская белоглазка, f pranc. zostérops à poitrine… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • white-throated white-eye — baltagurklis baltavokis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Zosterops meeki angl. white throated white eye vok. Tagulabrillenvogel, m rus. тагульская белоглазка, f pranc. zostérops à gorge blanche, m ryšiai: platesnis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

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