The Silvereye

I always assumed that the silvereye was an introduced species like most of our other common small birds

They actually introduced themselves from Australia back in the 1850s and today they are one of New Zealand's most widespread and abundant birds. Pretty, agile, gregarious and with a wide range of melodious notes, trills and whistles, the silvereye can be your friend or your enemy.

I quite like silvereyes. It’s a combination of things…their lovely olive green plumage with orangey pink flanks make them very pretty birds but most strikingly, it is the distinctive white rings around their eyes that give them a kind of comical look. I’ve watched these tiny birds many times, both in the field and in the