New Holland Honeyeater

Phylidonyris novaehollandiae

(Birds of Drouin booklet P42)

Description

Size: 170-180mm

Sexes alike. Longish down-curved bill. Black head and back, white iris. White eyebrow and white whisker and ear tufts. Elongated throat feathers. Black and yellow back and tail, white belly streaked black.

Call

A repeated, sharp ‘jik’, high-pitched ‘tsee’ and assorted rattles.

credit: xeno-canto.org

Distribution

Eastern seaboard from about Gympie to Eyre Peninsula. Tasmania and s-w corner of WA.

Map credit: ala.org.au

Nesting

New Holland Honeyeaters breed mostly from July to January. They build a rough, cup nest of twigs and grasses, usually in a low shrub or some bracken.

Habits

Active and often gregarious. They prefer native woodlands with scrubby understory, heathlands, public parks and gardens. New Holland Honeyeaters are reliant on a steady supply of nectar and will follow the flowering patterns of plants throughout a district. They are common and generally sedentary with some nomadism.