CLASSIFICATION
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Zosteropidae
Genus: Cleptornis
Species: marchei

RANGE
Endemic to the Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan and Aguijan; the Mariana Islands are located in to the north of Australia in the Pacific Ocean.

HABITAT
Common in native limestone forests, but also occurs in open shrubland and suburban areas.

SIZE
Length: Apx. 5.5 inches.

LIFE EXPECTANCY
8 years in the wild. Up to 10 years in captivity.

REPRODUCTION

• Breeding is usually from March to July
• Pairs are monogamous.
• Build nests made from needles, grasses and vines.
• Lays 2 eggs which are pale blueish green with red or brown splotches that are concentrated around the wider end.
• Both males and females brood and feed the chicks, which fledge after about 10-14 days after hatching, but can remain with their parents for awhile.

DIET
Wild: Fruits, berries and insects. Chicks feed almost entirely on insects and caterpillars.

BEHAVIOR
Unlike other species in the white-eye family that live in larger family groups, the golden white-eye is mostly territorial and lives with a single mate and young fledglings. Considered to be pollinators, they forage on preferred trees, such as the Katong Laut.

POINTS OF INTEREST

• Golden white-eyes were thought to have once inhabited other islands in the Marianas, including Guam, but were displaced by humans.
• The golden white-eye ‘s outermost, primary flying feather is longer than others in the white-eye species.
• Hatchlings are born altricial (underdeveloped) and require help from parents to mature.

STATUS
Common