Lemon-lime songbird with snowy white spectacles Swinhoe's White-eye 8762 Woodlawn Cemetery SoCal
"...Birders from San Diego to Seattle have been spotting a lemon-lime songbird with snowy white spectacles that was entirely absent from the landscape 15 years ago but whose population is now booming. The species is the Swinhoe’s White-eye, and its native range is east and southeast Asia. ...Why the birds have been so successful isn’t yet known, but it’s clear that white-eyes have a knack for proliferating. They reproduce quickly—up to three times per year—and Shultz ( Allison Shultz, associate curator of ornithology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) wonders whether they carry genes giving them flexible behavior or an especially adaptive immune system. The birds travel in noisy groups, are omnivorous, and have tiny brush-tipped tongues that help lap up nectar from hummingbird feeders and ornamental flowers often used in landscaping. According to the researchers, feeders and non-native plants seem to be a critical resource for the white-eyes, and bird baths and watered lawns might be playing a part in their success, too. Their dependence on urban plants is good news for California’s other birds; so far, scientists haven’t reported Swinhoe’s White-eyes competing for food with native species, and the birds seem to be absent in the wild outside of more urban and suburban habitats. " Jason Gregg
audubon.org
Lemon-lime songbird with snowy white spectacles Swinhoe's White-eye 8762 Woodlawn Cemetery SoCal
"...Birders from San Diego to Seattle have been spotting a lemon-lime songbird with snowy white spectacles that was entirely absent from the landscape 15 years ago but whose population is now booming. The species is the Swinhoe’s White-eye, and its native range is east and southeast Asia. ...Why the birds have been so successful isn’t yet known, but it’s clear that white-eyes have a knack for proliferating. They reproduce quickly—up to three times per year—and Shultz ( Allison Shultz, associate curator of ornithology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) wonders whether they carry genes giving them flexible behavior or an especially adaptive immune system. The birds travel in noisy groups, are omnivorous, and have tiny brush-tipped tongues that help lap up nectar from hummingbird feeders and ornamental flowers often used in landscaping. According to the researchers, feeders and non-native plants seem to be a critical resource for the white-eyes, and bird baths and watered lawns might be playing a part in their success, too. Their dependence on urban plants is good news for California’s other birds; so far, scientists haven’t reported Swinhoe’s White-eyes competing for food with native species, and the birds seem to be absent in the wild outside of more urban and suburban habitats. " Jason Gregg
audubon.org