Silvereye

What do Silvereyes look like?

They might only grow to about 15 cm tall and weigh only 5-10 g, but Silvereyes are very easy to recognise. As their name suggests, they have a ring of white or silvery feathers in a ring around their eyes. Silvereyes look a little different, depending on where they come from in Australia, but generally they have olive green and grey feathers.

Where are Silvereyes found?

Silvereyes can fly extremely long distances when they migrate at the end of summer. Some travel all the way from Tasmania right up to southern Queensland, over 1,600 km.

You might not see very many Silvereyes when the weather gets cold, especially in south eastern areas of Australia. When it starts to get a little chilly in autumn, Silvereyes form large flocks and fly to warmer areas for the winter. If you live in north eastern New South Wales or southern Queensland, you may be lucky enough to have southern Silvereyes visiting you for the winter.

Fast facts:

1. Not all populations of Silvereyes migrate—some stay in Tasmania all year round.
2. Migrating Silvereyes mainly travel at night when it is harder for predators to spot them.

Silvereye

They might only grow to about 15 cm tall and weigh only 5-10 g, but the hardy Silvereye has amazing stamina. Silvereyes can live for up to ten years, which is a long time for such a tiny bird. They can also fly extremely long distances when they migrate at the end of summer. Some travel all the way from Tasmania right up to southern Queensland, over 1,600 km.

Silvereyes are very easy to recognise. As their name suggests, they have a ring of white or silvery feathers in a ring around their eyes. Silvereyes look a little different, depending on where they come from in Australia, but generally they have olive green and grey feathers.

Flowering trees are a magnet for Silvereyes, so look out for them in gardens, parks and even orchards when trees and shrubs are flowering.

They especially love to eat the fruit of the Spreading Flax-Lilly, and the berries of the Beard Heath. Silvereyes in Western Australia nest in the foliage of the Black Coral Pea, which is one of Western Australia’s famous ‘upside-down’ flowers.

Be a Backyard Buddy

Silvereyes make their tiny nests about 5 m up in tree forks, so be sure to look carefully before pruning any of your trees between August and February. There might be Silvereye babies or eggs about.

Silvereyes don’t just eat nectar and fruit. They also love a feast of insects, so they are great to have in your garden. In fact, Silvereyes will help to keep a lot of the insects that damage plants under control.

You might not see very many Silvereyes when the weather gets cold, especially in south eastern areas of Australia. When it starts to get a little chilly in autumn, Silvereyes form large flocks and fly to warmer areas for the winter. If you live in north eastern New South Wales or southern Queensland, you may be lucky enough to have southern Silvereyes visiting you for the winter.

Silvereyes love:

• The nectar of native trees and bushes.
• Plump, juicy insects and bugs.
• Clean water.

But they don’t like:

• Open grasslands or lawn without any trees or bushes to hide in.
• Predators like cats, and birds of prey like hawks.
• Gardens with only a few types of plants. They like a variety of foods.

Be a Buddy to Silvereyes

Try to:

• Offer a feast of bugs and insects by mulching your gardens well and leaving a bit of leaf litter under your trees and bushes. Silvereyes love to eat all of the critters that live in your mulch like earthworms and grubs or up in your trees, like spiders and moths.
• Plant flowering trees that are native to your area. This will attract Silvereyes, but a good supply of local nectar producing flowers will mean they are much less likely to eat any fruit that you want to eat yourself. They also love Figs, Lillipillies, Bluebuerry, Ash and Walking stick Palm, which provide them with shelter and protection too. In Western Australia, they are crazy about the Marri Gum/Port Gregory Gum.
• Give Silvereyes a safe path to travel around your garden between their treetop homes and the ground. Along with your taller native trees, plant soft shrubs about 1-2 m high, surrounded by bushes the same height that are a bit more spiky and protective. Add small shrubs for food and shelter, and plant mixed native grasses and ground cover so that there are plenty of insects for Silvereyes to eat.
• Keep a bird bath in your garden for Silvereyes to drink and bathe in. Keep the water is clean and locate it above the ground so they feel safe from predators.

Avoid:

• Letting your cats outside, especially at night. Silvereyes forage for food on the ground in mulch and undergrowth so they sometimes find themselves in the sights of curious cats. You are most likely to see Silvereye babies on the ground with their parents when they are still being fed. It is even more important to keep them safe during this time, as they aren’t able to look after themselves yet.
• Using pesticides and insecticides. Using these will get rid of some of the Silvereye’s favourite snacks. Silvereyes are great at keeping down populations of insects and bugs that damage your garden, so don’t spend money on sprays when you can let the Silvereye do the job for you.
• Letting species of weeds grow berries or flowers in your garden. Silvereyes don’t mind a snack on flowering and fruiting plants that aren’t native to Australia like Privet or Lantana. While eating them doesn’t hurt the birds, they are not broken down in digestion either, so they just come out again in someone else’s garden.

Don’t be surprised if Silvereyes:

• Start collecting spider webs. Silvereye pairs will build a small, neat nest by weaving fine grass and hair, and bind it together with spider webs.
• Get a little bit talkative. Silvereyes are quite chirpy little birds who love nothing more than a bit of a chat with other nearby Silvereyes.

A few more Silvereye facts

Silvereye profile:

• Not all populations of Silvereyes migrate—some stay in Tasmania all year round.
• Migrating Silvereyes mainly travel at night when it is harder for predators to spot them.
• Silvereyes also eat fruit growing in orchards and yards, but they are most likely to feed at the edges of an orchard that they can see from their native habitat.