The purple-gaped honeyeater (''Lichenostomus cratitius'') is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to semi-arid southern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where it inhabits Mallee, tall heath and associated low eucalypt woodland.Menkhorst, P., Rogers, D., Clarke, R., Davies, J., Marsack, P., Franklin, K. (2019) ''The Australian Bird Guide: Revised Edition'',

CSIRO Publishing CSIRO Publishing is an Australian-based science and technology publisher. It publishes books, journals and magazines across a range of scientific disciplines, including agriculture, chemistry, plant and animal sciences, natural history and envir ...

, Melbourne, Victoria,

Description

The Purple-gaped Honeyeater is a medium-sized (16 - 19 centimetres) honeyeater which is generally grey-olive above and buffish yellow below. They have a patterned head, with a black eyestripe against a grey background and purple gape above a yellow streak on the throat and pointed yellow ear coverts. Juveniles are similar, but with duller facial patterns, slightly browner plumage, and a yellow gape and gape line. The Kangaroo Island subspecies is considered to be larger and darker than the mainland subspecies. Similar species include

Yellow-plumed honeyeater The yellow-plumed honeyeater (''Ptilotula ornata'') is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to Australia, where it inhabits temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. The yellow-plumed honeyeater was pre ...

and Singing Honeyeater.

Call

The song is a clear ''toweet-toweet-toweet'', followed by a high-pitched ''yep-yep-yep'', often performed from a tall branch, including before dawn.

Distribution

They occur in disjunct populations across southern Australia, east from southern Western Australia, with the eastern population largely occurring south of the Murray River, and NSW forming the extreme north-east of its range. Despite its naturally disjunct populations, the purple-gaped honeyeater has very low genetic diversity across its range.

Ecology and behaviour

The main habitat type for purple-gaped honeyeater is Mallee woodland and shrubland.Tzaros, C. (2021) ''Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark Country.'' 2nd Edition,

, Melbourne, Victoria, This includes Bull Mallee, with patches of Green Mallee or Blue Mallee. They also occur in Yellow Gum woodland with dense thickets of Totem-poles or Violet Honey-myrtle on low-lying flats and gullies in Mallee areas. They are occasionally recorded in River Red Gums bordering waterways, and seasonally in

Red Ironbark Ironbark is a common name of a number of species in three taxonomic groups within the genus ''Eucalyptus'' that have dark, deeply furrowed bark. Instead of being shed annually as in many of the other species of ''Eucalyptus'', the dead bark accum ...

woodlands when they are in flower. Purple-gaped honeyeaters can also occasionally be found in gardens. They are gregarious, usually seen in pairs, or groups of 3-8 birds. Generally considered quiet and unobtrusive, except in spring when they may call often. They are known to regularly drink and bathe, particularly in warmer weather. Purple-gaped honeyeaters associate with

and

Tawny-crowned honeyeater The tawny-crowned honeyeater (''Gliciphila melanops'') is a passerine bird native to southern Australia. Taxonomy The tawny-crowned honeyeater was originally described by ornithologist John Latham in 1801 as ''Certhia melanops''. Its specific e ...

, but can be aggressive towards other honeyeaters, and frequently chase other birds, particularly when feeding.

Diet

Purple-gaped honeyeaters feed mainly on nectar and insects, especially from flowering Mallee eucalypts, and banksias. They also forage for insects under loose bark on trunks and branches of trees, or catch flying insects on the wing. Seeds, pollen and honeydew from scale insects are less frequently consumed.

Reproduction

Purple-gaped honeyeaters build nests as a small cup of bark strips, grass and down, bound with spider web and egg sacs, slung in a horizontal fork or from slender branchlets within dense foliage (usually Broombush or eucalypts), normally less than three metres above the ground.

Threats

The purple-gaped honeyeater is vulnerable to clearing of Mallee, which destroys habitat by removing food plants and nesting sites.

Conservation actions

Conservation status

* Internationally : * The species is listed under the IUCN Red List, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as a species of 'Least concern'. * Australia : * In NSW, it is listed as ''Vulnerable'' under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW), Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. : * In South Australia, the species is listed as ''Rare'' under the Protected_areas_of_South_Australia#National_Parks_and_Wildlife_Act_1972, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. : * In Victoria, the species is listed as ''Vulnerable'' under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Protected areas

Purple-gaped honeyeaters occur in several Protected area, protected areas, including: * New South Wales : * Mallee Cliffs National Park * South Australia : * Flinders Chase National Park : * Gawler Ranges National Park : * Billiatt Conservation Park : * Peebinga Conservation Park : * Gluepot Reserve * Victoria : * Greater Bendigo National Park : * Hattah-Kulkyne National Park : * Little Desert National Park : * Murray-Sunset National Park : * Wyperfeld National Park : * Big Desert Wilderness Park : * Lake Albacutya Park : * Inglewood Nature Conservation Reserve : * Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve * Western Australia : * Cape Arid National Park : * Cape Le Grand National Park

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q854690 Lichenostomus, purple-gaped honeyeater Birds of New South Wales Birds of South Australia Birds of Victoria (Australia) Birds of Western Australia Endemic birds of Australia Birds described in 1841, purple-gaped honeyeater Taxonomy articles created by Polbot