The New Holland honeyeater (''Phylidonyris novaehollandiae'') is a

honeyeater The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family (biology), family, Meliphagidae, of small to medium-sized birds. The family includes the Epthianura, Australian chats, myzomelas, friarbirds, wattlebirds, Manorina, miners and melidectes. They are ...

species found throughout

southern Australia The term Southern Australia is generally considered to refer to the states and territories of Australia of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia. The part of Western Australia south of lati ...

. It was among the first birds to be scientifically described in

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 ...

, and was initially named ''Certhia novaehollandiae''.

Taxonomy

There are currently five described subspecies of ''Phylidonyris novaehollandiae'': *'' P. novaehollandiae novaehollandiae'' (South-eastern mainland Australia; Latham, 1790) *'' P. novaehollandiae canescens'' (Tasmania; Latham, 1790), *'' P. novaehollandiae campbelli'' (Kangaroo Island, South Australia; Matthews, 1923) *'' P. novaehollandiae longirostris'' (Western Australia; Gould, 1846) *'' P. novaehollandiae caudatus'' (Bass Strait islands; Salomonsen, 1966).

Description

The bird is around long and is mainly black, with a white iris, white facial tufts and yellow margins on its wing and tail feathers. It is a very active bird and rarely sits long enough to give an extended view. When danger approaches a New Holland honeyeater, such as a

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators h ...

, a group of honeyeaters will form together and give a warning call. Sexes are similar in looks with the exception that females are, on average, slightly smaller. Young New Holland honeyeaters (<1 year old) have similar colouring but have grey eyes and a yellow

gape The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, ...

and 'whiskers' near the nares. They appear to be a socially

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...

bird with no sign of co-operative breeding, but this observation is yet to be examined.

Breeding

The breeding behaviour of the New Holland honeyeater has been relatively well documented. In southern and eastern Australia, breeding commonly occurs during autumn and spring, although certain coastal populations may breed at any time of the year given suitable conditions, including sufficient food and absence of adverse weather. In Western Australia, New Holland honeyeaters have been observed to breed once annually from July to November, when nectar is abundant.McFarland, D. C. (1985) Breeding behaviour of the New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae. Emu 86, 161–167. In breeding territories, males spend a large proportion of their time defending the nest and food resources, while the females invest a large proportion of their time in reproductive labour including nest construction, incubation, and a majority of the nestling care.Clarke, R. H., and M. F. Clarke (1999) The social organization of a sexually dimorphic honeyeater: the Crescent Honeyeater Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera, at Wilsons Promontory, Victoria. Austral Ecology 24(6), 644–654. However, these roles are not completely strict (Lambert and Oorebeek, observation). It is also common for females to utilise food resources that are in close proximity to the nest, while males venture further afield, toward the outskirts of the territory.Kleindorfer, S., Lambert, S., & Paton, D. C. (2006) "Ticks (''Ixodes'' sp.) and blood parasites (''Haemoproteus'' spp.) in New Holland Honeyeaters (''Phylidonyris novaehollandiae''): evidence for site specificity and fitness costs." ''Emu'' 106, 113–118.

Diet

New Holland honeyeaters obtain most of their carbohydrate requirements from the

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

of flowers. Consequently, they are key pollinators of many flowering plant species, many of which are endemic to Australia, such as ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range i ...

'', ''

Hakea ''Hakea'' ( ) is a genus of about 150 species of plants in the Family ''Proteaceae'', endemic to Australia. They are shrubs or small trees with leaves that are sometimes flat, otherwise circular in cross section in which case they are sometimes d ...

'', ''

Xanthorrhoea ''Xanthorrhoea'' () is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants endemic to Australia. Species are known by the name grass tree. Description All are perennials and have a secondary thickening meristem in the stem. Many, but not all, sp ...

'', and ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

''. New Holland honeyeaters may also consume honeydew, a sugary secretion produced by members of the family

Psyllidae Psyllidae, the jumping plant lice or psyllids, are a family of small plant-feeding insects that tend to be very host-specific, i.e. each plant-louse species only feeds on one plant species (monophagous) or feeds on a few closely related plants ( ...

. Despite feeding primarily on nectar, New Holland honeyeaters are not strictly nectarivorous. Nectar does not contain protein, so New Holland honeyeaters must supplement their diet with invertebrates, such as spiders and insects that are rich in protein. They sometimes feed alone but usually gather in groups.

Gallery

File:Newhollandhoneyeater.jpg, New Holland honeyeater, 2005 Image:New Holland.jpg, New Holland honeyeater, Lindisfarne, Tasmania Image:New_holland_honeyeater_nest.jpg, New Holland honeyeater nest, eggs and chicks, Western Australia

References

External links

Call of New Holland honeyeaters
{{Taxonbar, from=Q380225

New Holland honeyeater The New Holland honeyeater (''Phylidonyris novaehollandiae'') is a honeyeater species found throughout southern Australia. It was among the first birds to be scientifically described in Australia, and was initially named ''Certhia novaehollandi ...

Birds of Western Australia Birds of South Australia Birds of New South Wales Birds of Victoria (Australia) Birds of Tasmania Endemic birds of Australia