Fossil evidence shows the golden white-eye once also occurred on Tinian and Rota but was extirpated in those locations through the impact of human activities.

Despite its current abundance on Saipan and Aguijan, and the fact that it has among the highest recorded densities for any bird, it is nevertheless considered to be Endangered.

It is threatened by the invasive brown tree snake, which has become established on nearby Guam, and this predator is expected to cause a rapid decline in the population if it reaches Saipan.

[4] It was subsequently moved into the genus Cleptornis, which had been provisionally established by Oustalet in case the species proved to be distinct.

[2] Behavioural and morphological characteristics led American ornithologist Harold Douglas Pratt, Jr., to suggest in 1987 that it was related to the white-eyes.

[6] Its generic name, Cleptornis, is derived from the Ancient Greek kleptes, a robber or thief, and ornis, a bird.

[7] The specific epithet marchei refers to the French explorer and writer Antoine-Alfred Marche, who procured the original specimens.

The species has bright, unmistakable plumage, with: an orange-yellow head coupled with a pale eye-ring; a yellow-green back, wings, and tail; and golden orange undersides.

The juveniles have similar plumage, though duller than the adults', with brownish patches on the face and neck and brown-yellow streaks on the breast.

While it chases other forest passerines, it is less aggressive towards them, and in fact the rufous fantail seeks out the golden white-eye, foraging behind it to snatch insects flushed by the latter species.

It has been suggested that the versatility in diet and foraging technique is an adaptation to the challenges presented by typhoons, which can dramatically alter the structure of the forest.

[13] The nests are predated by other bird species, specifically Micronesian starlings and collared kingfishers,[14] as well as the introduced green tree skink.

Both parents share the brooding and feeding duties, and take away faecal sacs to keep the nest clean.

[15] At present the golden white-eye is very common, and in fact a 1996 study found that their densities on Saipan were among the highest recorded for any bird, up to 2,095 birds/km² (8.47 per acre).

[17] The species is nonetheless evaluated as Endangered by the IUCN because the population is expected to undergo a rapid decline if the brown tree snake becomes established on Saipan.

[18] The snake has not yet become established on Saipan, one of the two islands that compose the range of the golden white-eye, and which holds the largest population of the species.

[1] The isolation of Aguijan makes the introduction of brown tree snakes there unlikely, but the small population there is vulnerable as the island is only 718 ha (1774 acres) in size and a direct hit by a supertyphoon could wipe them out.