Scientific Name: Zosterops japonicus or japonica
The
Japanese White-eye, or
Mejiro (
Zosterops japonicus or
japonica) is a small
passerine bird in the white-eye family. Its original native range includes much of east Asia, including
Japan,
China,
Vietnam, and the
Philippines. It has been intentionally introduced to other parts of the world as a pet and as pest control, with mixed results. As one of the native species of the Japanese islands, it has been depicted in Japanese art on numerous occasions, and historically was kept as a cage bird.
The Japanese White-eye is about 4 to 4.5 inches in size, with a yellow forehead, a greenish back, and dark brown wings and tail outlined in green. Like other white-eyes, this species exhibits the distinctive white eyering that gives it its name (
mejiro also meaning "white eye" in Japanese). It is omnivorous, feeding primarily on insects and nectar.
Thanks to Doug Hitchcox at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhitchcox/and
Ken aka Mr. Zoom at
http://ken.smugmug.com/for helping ID this little guy.