Their most characteristic feature is a conspicuous white feather ring around the eye, though some species lack it.

[1] The Zosterops [griseotinctus] group is an example of a "great speciator" inhabiting a vast area and showing a remarkable morphological differentiation on islands, some of which may be as close as 2 km (1.2 mi) apart.

[2] The genus Zosterops was introduced by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827.

[3] The name combines the Ancient Greek words zōstēros "belt" or "girdle" and ōpos "eye".

[5][6] The results of a series of molecular phylogenetic studies of the Zosteropidae published between 2014 and 2018 prompted a major revision of species limits, in which 10 new genera were introduced.