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gemfyreOr Honeyeaters, if you prefer. In the Americas there are Hummingbirds. In Africa and South-east Asia above the Wallace Line are Sunbirds. And in Australia and the islands above us, there are Honeyeaters. Despite being called honeyeaters, most species are not averse to taking insects to supplement their diets, and many like a bit of soft fruit too for variety.
Australia has a large selection of Honeyeaters. Most of them being small, flitty birds. The exceptions to the rule are the Wattlebirds in the south and the Friarbirds in the north, which are large and boisterous. You can find many different honeyeaters in Perth and it's surrounds.
The big 4 of the small ones
Singing Honeyeater - Lichenostomus virescens
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
The Singer is the largest of the little honeyeaters around Perth and possibly the most common. Listen out for their trilling, prrrting calls in your garden. Young Singing Honeyeaters have an incessant whining call. Despite being called the Singing Honeyeater, their call can't really be called a song. Look for -
- a medium sized bird, about half the size of a magpie
- brownish plumage on back
- streaked, pale plumage on the underside
- yellow highlights on the wings and below the eye
- a black band through the eye - this is the distinctive feature - the only other honeyeaters with this feature are found in far north Queensland.
Brown Honeyeater - Lichmera indistincta
Photo by tcollins of Birdforum
Poor Brown Honeyeater, given a Latin name like indistincta. But honestly, this is one of our most drab honeyeaters, one of the smallest and one of the noisiest. I remember a bird walk I went on in my first year of birdwatching and asking, "What are all these birds I'm hearing?" I'm sure I'd identified about 16 different calls. The leader of the walk informed me that they were all Brown Honeyeaters. I'm now familiar with the timbre of the calls and can pick out Brown Honeyeaters, despite their varied songs. If you're not yet familar with the call, look out for -
- a small, brown honeyeater
- yellow highlights on the wings
- yellow gape
- yellow patch behind the eye
- downcurved bill.
Really, once you get to know them, they aren't all that drab.
New Holland Honeyeater - Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
Probably the most familiar honeyeater on this list. The New Holland Honeyeater has the honour of being the first bird described in Australia. New Hollands are very social honeyeaters, travelling around in family groups and making a general racket of high pitched chirps and scolding sounds. They are one of the most boldly patterned of the common honeyeaters.
- black, white and yellow colour scheme
- underside is white with black streaks
- yellow tips to the wings
- white tufts of feathers on the face
- white eye ring.
Pay attention to the particular features of this guy. They'll get even more noisy if their territory is breached by another, very similar species...
White-cheeked Honeyeater - Phylidonyris nigra
Photo by safariranger of Birdforum
You've probably seen White-cheeks around and passed them off as New Hollands. They look similar, and both travel in groups making a lot of noise. My parent's house seems to be on borderline territory, often I will see a group of New Hollands sitting on a fence scolding at a group of White Cheeks sitting a little further down the fence swearing right back at the New Hollands. Whilst they do look similar to New Hollands, they do have a lot of distinctive features.
- again, they have a bold, black, white and yellow colour scheme
- the underside is also white with black streaking
- there is a yellow panel in the wing
- the White-cheeked Honeyeater has a brown eye with no eye ring
- The South-Western subspecies in particular has a white patch on the cheek that looks to me like someone has painted a streak of Liquid Paper along thier cheeks - if you look for this white streak and the lack of eye ring you can't go wrong.
The common big one
Red Wattlebird - Anthochaera carunculata
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
The Red Wattlebird is big, noisy, boisterous and charismatic. In breeding season it's common to see them swooping and chasing much bigger birds, as well as targeting unfortunate dogs, cats and lizards (I have never seen a Bobtail run so fast as the one that was being pursued by a Wattlebird). Wattlebirds are not called that because they hang around in wattle trees, they are named for the coloured wattles on their cheeks (although, only 2 of the 4 wattlebirds actually HAVE these wattles). So, what do these fellows look like?
- Overall brownish bird with white streaks
- A bit smaller than a magpie
- Yellow belly
- Red eye
- Small red wattles on the cheeks - these are pendulous bits of red skin that become more defined as the bird matures, and especially in the breeding season.
- Distinctive loud "Chok Tobacco-box!" call.
The Red Wattlebird has a much less common and quieter relative in the Perth area.
The not-so-common ones
Western Wattlebird - Anthochaera lunulata
Photo by Mike Bouette of Birdforum
Until recently the Western Wattlebird (now recognised as a south-west endemic species) was lumped with the eastern states Brush Wattlebird and they were all known as Little Wattlebirds, despite the fact that they look distinctly different. The Western Wattlebird is a lot harder to find than the Red Wattlebird, preferring to stay in bushland remnants rather than urban gardens. Some good spots to find them are in the bush areas surrounding Lake Joondalup and at Kings Park. You'll probably notice their call first, a sound which reminds me of a squeaky door hinge. What do they look like?
- uniform chocolate brown with white streaks
- slightly smaller than the Red Wattlebird
- a white wash under the eye and across the cheek
- red eye
- no wattle.
Not so common small honeyeaters
Western Spinebill - Acanthorhynchus superciliosus
Photo by The Magpie of Birdforum
Without a doubt the Western Spinebill is the most beautiful and striking honeyeater in the Perth area (it is another south-west endemic). Pity it's so hard to find! (At least, it is for me). Apparently these guys are common in Kings Park, but I have only seen them once or twice there. The best sighting I had of this species was at Bickley Brook Resevoir, where they were in the bushes right next to the carpark. Really, the picture says it all to describe how the males of this species look. Females are a lot more boring, being mostly brown - but they can be distinguished by their long, slender, curved bills and a rufous band across the back of the neck.
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater - Gliciphila melanops
Photo by Graeme Chapman of Birdforum
The Tawny-crowned Honeyeater prefers to hang out in coastal heath and banksia woodland. Head to the dunes of the northern beaches for the best chance to see these. They have also occasionally been seen at Wireless Hill Reserve and at Lightning Swamp Reserve. Look for a honeyeater perched atop the flower of grasstrees. Tawny-crowns have a distinctive display flight, flying almost vertically upwards then spiralling down while calling. Their calls are haunting, fluting notes. Look for -
- tawny/rufous top of the head
- black mask over the eyes, continuing down the sides of the cheek to the chest
- white underside
- brownish upper side.
Western White-naped Honeyeater - Melithreptus chloropsis
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
This species has very recently been split from the White-naped Honeyeater (how recent? Well, since I did the first draft of this Birding Lesson a few months ago - That draft was lost in a crash). It is now officially a south-west endemic. Unfortunately I was unable to find a good photo of the western species so have had to settle for the eastern bird. Western White-naped Honeyeaters have blue over the eyes instead of red.
White-napes prefer to hang out in tall trees. They are easily found in the Jarrah forest of the Darling Scarp, where you will probably first notice their grating calls. They are a striking honeyeater with distinctive features -
- white underside
- olive wings and tail
- black head with a well defined white nape across the back of the head
- blue skin above the eyes.
Brown-headed Honeyeater - Melithreptus brevirostris
Photo taken from Friends of Frankston
The Brown-headed Honeyeater is a close relative of the Western White-naped Honeyeater and likes the same habitat of dry sclerophyl forest. It is less common than the White-nape and overall looks like a diluted version of it's cousin. The head is brown with a white-nape and the back is a dull olive-grey. Even the underside has a brownish tinge instead of being stark white.
Australia has a large selection of Honeyeaters. Most of them being small, flitty birds. The exceptions to the rule are the Wattlebirds in the south and the Friarbirds in the north, which are large and boisterous. You can find many different honeyeaters in Perth and it's surrounds.
The big 4 of the small ones
Singing Honeyeater - Lichenostomus virescens
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
The Singer is the largest of the little honeyeaters around Perth and possibly the most common. Listen out for their trilling, prrrting calls in your garden. Young Singing Honeyeaters have an incessant whining call. Despite being called the Singing Honeyeater, their call can't really be called a song. Look for -
- a medium sized bird, about half the size of a magpie
- brownish plumage on back
- streaked, pale plumage on the underside
- yellow highlights on the wings and below the eye
- a black band through the eye - this is the distinctive feature - the only other honeyeaters with this feature are found in far north Queensland.
Brown Honeyeater - Lichmera indistincta
Photo by tcollins of Birdforum
Poor Brown Honeyeater, given a Latin name like indistincta. But honestly, this is one of our most drab honeyeaters, one of the smallest and one of the noisiest. I remember a bird walk I went on in my first year of birdwatching and asking, "What are all these birds I'm hearing?" I'm sure I'd identified about 16 different calls. The leader of the walk informed me that they were all Brown Honeyeaters. I'm now familiar with the timbre of the calls and can pick out Brown Honeyeaters, despite their varied songs. If you're not yet familar with the call, look out for -
- a small, brown honeyeater
- yellow highlights on the wings
- yellow gape
- yellow patch behind the eye
- downcurved bill.
Really, once you get to know them, they aren't all that drab.
New Holland Honeyeater - Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
Probably the most familiar honeyeater on this list. The New Holland Honeyeater has the honour of being the first bird described in Australia. New Hollands are very social honeyeaters, travelling around in family groups and making a general racket of high pitched chirps and scolding sounds. They are one of the most boldly patterned of the common honeyeaters.
- black, white and yellow colour scheme
- underside is white with black streaks
- yellow tips to the wings
- white tufts of feathers on the face
- white eye ring.
Pay attention to the particular features of this guy. They'll get even more noisy if their territory is breached by another, very similar species...
White-cheeked Honeyeater - Phylidonyris nigra
Photo by safariranger of Birdforum
You've probably seen White-cheeks around and passed them off as New Hollands. They look similar, and both travel in groups making a lot of noise. My parent's house seems to be on borderline territory, often I will see a group of New Hollands sitting on a fence scolding at a group of White Cheeks sitting a little further down the fence swearing right back at the New Hollands. Whilst they do look similar to New Hollands, they do have a lot of distinctive features.
- again, they have a bold, black, white and yellow colour scheme
- the underside is also white with black streaking
- there is a yellow panel in the wing
- the White-cheeked Honeyeater has a brown eye with no eye ring
- The South-Western subspecies in particular has a white patch on the cheek that looks to me like someone has painted a streak of Liquid Paper along thier cheeks - if you look for this white streak and the lack of eye ring you can't go wrong.
The common big one
Red Wattlebird - Anthochaera carunculata
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
The Red Wattlebird is big, noisy, boisterous and charismatic. In breeding season it's common to see them swooping and chasing much bigger birds, as well as targeting unfortunate dogs, cats and lizards (I have never seen a Bobtail run so fast as the one that was being pursued by a Wattlebird). Wattlebirds are not called that because they hang around in wattle trees, they are named for the coloured wattles on their cheeks (although, only 2 of the 4 wattlebirds actually HAVE these wattles). So, what do these fellows look like?
- Overall brownish bird with white streaks
- A bit smaller than a magpie
- Yellow belly
- Red eye
- Small red wattles on the cheeks - these are pendulous bits of red skin that become more defined as the bird matures, and especially in the breeding season.
- Distinctive loud "Chok Tobacco-box!" call.
The Red Wattlebird has a much less common and quieter relative in the Perth area.
The not-so-common ones
Western Wattlebird - Anthochaera lunulata
Photo by Mike Bouette of Birdforum
Until recently the Western Wattlebird (now recognised as a south-west endemic species) was lumped with the eastern states Brush Wattlebird and they were all known as Little Wattlebirds, despite the fact that they look distinctly different. The Western Wattlebird is a lot harder to find than the Red Wattlebird, preferring to stay in bushland remnants rather than urban gardens. Some good spots to find them are in the bush areas surrounding Lake Joondalup and at Kings Park. You'll probably notice their call first, a sound which reminds me of a squeaky door hinge. What do they look like?
- uniform chocolate brown with white streaks
- slightly smaller than the Red Wattlebird
- a white wash under the eye and across the cheek
- red eye
- no wattle.
Not so common small honeyeaters
Western Spinebill - Acanthorhynchus superciliosus
Photo by The Magpie of Birdforum
Without a doubt the Western Spinebill is the most beautiful and striking honeyeater in the Perth area (it is another south-west endemic). Pity it's so hard to find! (At least, it is for me). Apparently these guys are common in Kings Park, but I have only seen them once or twice there. The best sighting I had of this species was at Bickley Brook Resevoir, where they were in the bushes right next to the carpark. Really, the picture says it all to describe how the males of this species look. Females are a lot more boring, being mostly brown - but they can be distinguished by their long, slender, curved bills and a rufous band across the back of the neck.
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater - Gliciphila melanops
Photo by Graeme Chapman of Birdforum
The Tawny-crowned Honeyeater prefers to hang out in coastal heath and banksia woodland. Head to the dunes of the northern beaches for the best chance to see these. They have also occasionally been seen at Wireless Hill Reserve and at Lightning Swamp Reserve. Look for a honeyeater perched atop the flower of grasstrees. Tawny-crowns have a distinctive display flight, flying almost vertically upwards then spiralling down while calling. Their calls are haunting, fluting notes. Look for -
- tawny/rufous top of the head
- black mask over the eyes, continuing down the sides of the cheek to the chest
- white underside
- brownish upper side.
Western White-naped Honeyeater - Melithreptus chloropsis
Photo by Rose Fletcher of Birdforum
This species has very recently been split from the White-naped Honeyeater (how recent? Well, since I did the first draft of this Birding Lesson a few months ago - That draft was lost in a crash). It is now officially a south-west endemic. Unfortunately I was unable to find a good photo of the western species so have had to settle for the eastern bird. Western White-naped Honeyeaters have blue over the eyes instead of red.
White-napes prefer to hang out in tall trees. They are easily found in the Jarrah forest of the Darling Scarp, where you will probably first notice their grating calls. They are a striking honeyeater with distinctive features -
- white underside
- olive wings and tail
- black head with a well defined white nape across the back of the head
- blue skin above the eyes.
Brown-headed Honeyeater - Melithreptus brevirostris
Photo taken from Friends of Frankston
The Brown-headed Honeyeater is a close relative of the Western White-naped Honeyeater and likes the same habitat of dry sclerophyl forest. It is less common than the White-nape and overall looks like a diluted version of it's cousin. The head is brown with a white-nape and the back is a dull olive-grey. Even the underside has a brownish tinge instead of being stark white.
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-25 05:31 pm (UTC)Oodles of New Holland, Western Spinebill and Red Wattlebird in my yard/surrounds. Seen some Western Wattles and Singing Honeys- never seen a single Western White-Naped as yet...
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Date: 2010-07-25 10:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-26 07:47 am (UTC)I'm in Karrinyup- there's a park over the road and they sit on the Banksias (not so much in this weather, obviously)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-26 07:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-26 08:21 am (UTC)Trigg bushland, Sandover Park. They're not there now though, because of the weather. We're still getting Red Wattlebirds and the occasional New Holland though...
no subject
Date: 2010-07-26 12:28 am (UTC)I miss brown honeyeaters constantly coming into my Mum's garden.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-26 12:26 pm (UTC)I'll have to look more closely next time I see a pack, but I'm pretty sure it's New Hollands and not White Cheeks we get.
Thanks for posting!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-26 02:27 pm (UTC)Not Brown-headed
Date: 2011-05-07 01:27 am (UTC)Re: Not Brown-headed
Date: 2011-05-08 01:22 am (UTC)