The New Caledonian myzomela (''Myzomela caledonica'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the honeyeater family

Meliphagidae The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family, Meliphagidae, of small to medium-sized birds. The family includes the Australian chats, myzomelas, friarbirds, wattlebirds, miners and melidectes. They are most common in Australia and New Guinea ...

. The species is sometimes considered to be conspecific with (the same species as) the

scarlet myzomela The scarlet myzomela or scarlet honeyeater (''Myzomela sanguinolenta'') is a small passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to Australia. It was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. At long, it is t ...

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 ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, where it occurs on the island of Grande Terre and the Isle of Pines. In New Caledonia its natural habitat is humid rainforest, stunted hill forest and savanna woodland. It has also moved into modified

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

such as plantations and gardens. It is around 11 cm in length and typically weighs 6.5 to 8 grams. The males are slightly heavier than the females. The

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

of this species also varies by sex, with the male having a scarlet head, breast and back, black wings and tail and a white belly and rump. The female has a dull brown head, breast and back with a slight red wash on the face, and duller wings and belly. Juvenile birds resemble the female.

References

Endemic birds of New Caledonia Myzomela Birds described in 1879 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{NewCaledonia-stub