Lewin's Honeyeater
Meliphaga lewinii
A medium-sized olive-gray honeyeater with a pale yellow cheek patch and a relatively stout bill. Cheek patch is often a crescent compared to the circular patch on Graceful Honeyeater and the oval path on Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. Adults have a bluish eye, while the similar Graceful Honeyeater has a blue-gray eye and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater has a brown eye. Listen for the rapid staccato machine-gun call of Lewin’s compared to the loud repeated whistles of the Yellow-spotted Honeyeater and the more simple, single note call of Graceful Honeyeater. Of the three easily confusable species, this is the only one found away from the tropics; it occurs in wetter forests and gardens all along the eastern coast of Australia.
Identification
The Lewin's honeyeater is small to medium in size 20–22 cm (7.9–8.7 in). It is dark greenish-grey in colour, with a creamy yellow gape (i.e., the fleshy corners of the mouth). It has large, yellowish, crescent-shaped ear-patches, which distinguish it from other honeyeaters, apart from two similar, but smaller, species in tropical Queensland. In flight, the pale yellow edges of the flight feathers can be seen. The bill is black and the eye is blue-grey. Both sexes are similar in appearance. Young Lewin's honeyeaters are similar to the adults, but have brown eyes. The strong 'machine gun-like' rattling notes of Lewin's honeyeater are heard over long distances, and reveal its presence in an area.<p>Body size, voice, and the shape and size of the ear-patch help in identifying the similar Graceful and Yellow-spotted Honeyeaters in tropical Queensland.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Meliphaga lewinii
- Authority
- (Swainson, 1837)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Meliphaga
Range and habitat
The Lewin's honeyeater prefers the wetter parts of eastern Australia, from northern Queensland to central Victoria. It is found in both rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest, and often wanders into more open woodland. It is a common bird, and its call is often heard in these areas. It is a rather sedentary species, tending to stay in the same area all year round, although some altitudinal migration, to lower elevations in the cooler winter months, occurs.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-faced Apalis
Apalis personata
Black-hooded, green-backed apalis with a white spot on the side of the neck. Found in montane forest of the Albertine Rift. Usually in pairs, which will join mixed-species flocks. An active species that prefers the upper half of the forest, though it will sometimes feed lower. Gives a rattling, repeated three-part call, and also a quick trill. Very similar to Masked Apalis, but has a mostly black head and a white dot rather than a stripe on the side of the neck, and is found at higher elevations.
Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole
Oriolus monacha
A mostly yellow bird with a black hood and a red bill. The tail pattern varies geographically; it can be largely plain olive-and-yellow, or it can show black patches. Found in lush woodland and montane forest at middle elevations in the Abyssinian highlands. Very similar to African Black-headed Oriole, but usually separated by habitat and range. Further distinguished by the wing pattern, which is plainer, with a long gray patch, and without bold white feather edgings. Song is a series of slurred, liquid whistles, and calls include raspy notes.
Olivaceous Elaenia
Elaenia mesoleuca
Small nondescript flycatcher usually seen in pairs. Found in the interior and borders of forests. Olive-brown above and grayish breast with a pale belly. Note two wingbars and lack of a crest. Very similar to Small-billed Elaenia but has two (not three) wing bars and a darker breast. The song is harsh and squeaky “weel-weekru.”
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