Brown-headed Honeyeater
Encyclopedia
The Brown-headed Honeyeater (Melithreptus brevirostris) is a species of passerine
bird in the Meliphagidae family.
It is endemic to Australia
. Its natural habitat
s are temperate forest
s and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.
The Brown-headed Honeyeater was first described by Vigors
& Horsfield in 1827. Its species name is derived from the Latin
terms brevis "short", and rostrum "beak". Five subspecies have been described. The race magnirostris from Kangaroo Island
has a noticeably larger bill.
It is a member of the genus Melithreptus
with several species, of similar size and all black-headed apart from this species, in the honeyeater
family Meliphagidae. Molecular markers show the Brown-headed Honeyeater is most closely related to the Black-chinned Honeyeater
, with the Strong-billed Honeyeater
an earlier offshoot between 6.7 and 3.4 million years ago.
A small honeyeater ranging from 13 to 15 cm (5.2–6 in) in length, it is olive brown above and buff below, with a brown head, nape and throat, with a cream or orange patch of bare skin over the eye and a white crescent-shaped patch on the nape. The legs and feet are orange. It makes a scratchy chwik-chwik-chwik call.
The Brown-headed Honeyeater ranges from central-southern Queensland, down through central and eastern New South Wales (though generally west of the Great Dividing Range
), across Victoria and into eastern South Australia, where it is found in the Flinders Ranges and around the lower Murray River region. It occurs in southern Western Australia.
Insects form the bulk of the diet, and like its close relatives the Black-chinned and Strong-billed Honeyeaters, the Brown-headed Honeyeater forages by probing in bark of trunks and branches of trees.
Brown-headed honeyeaters may nest from July to December, breeding once or twice during this time. The nest is a thick-walled bowl of grasses and bits of bark lined with softer plant material hidden in the outer foliage of a tall tree, usually a eucalypt. Two or three eggs are laid, 16 x 13 mm and shiny buff-pink sparsely spotted with red-brown (more on larger end).
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird in the Meliphagidae family.
It is endemic to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s are temperate forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.
The Brown-headed Honeyeater was first described by Vigors
Nicholas Aylward Vigors
Nicholas Aylward Vigors was an Irish zoologist and politician.Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford. He served in the army during the Peninsular War from 1809 to 1811. He then returned to Oxford, graduating with a B.A. in 1815 and in 1817 with an...
& Horsfield in 1827. Its species name is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
terms brevis "short", and rostrum "beak". Five subspecies have been described. The race magnirostris from Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
has a noticeably larger bill.
It is a member of the genus Melithreptus
Melithreptus
Melithreptus is a genus of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. Its members are native to Australia. It is generally considered to contain seven species, although some authors have classified the related Blue-faced Honeyeater within this genus....
with several species, of similar size and all black-headed apart from this species, in the honeyeater
Honeyeater
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...
family Meliphagidae. Molecular markers show the Brown-headed Honeyeater is most closely related to the Black-chinned Honeyeater
Black-chinned Honeyeater
The Black-chinned Honeyeater is a species of passerine bird in the Meliphagidae family. It is endemic to Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical dry forests.The Black-chinned Honeyeater was first described by John Gould in 1837...
, with the Strong-billed Honeyeater
Strong-billed Honeyeater
The Strong-billed Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is one of two species of the genus Melithreptus endemic to Tasmania.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-Taxonomy:...
an earlier offshoot between 6.7 and 3.4 million years ago.
A small honeyeater ranging from 13 to 15 cm (5.2–6 in) in length, it is olive brown above and buff below, with a brown head, nape and throat, with a cream or orange patch of bare skin over the eye and a white crescent-shaped patch on the nape. The legs and feet are orange. It makes a scratchy chwik-chwik-chwik call.
The Brown-headed Honeyeater ranges from central-southern Queensland, down through central and eastern New South Wales (though generally west of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
), across Victoria and into eastern South Australia, where it is found in the Flinders Ranges and around the lower Murray River region. It occurs in southern Western Australia.
Insects form the bulk of the diet, and like its close relatives the Black-chinned and Strong-billed Honeyeaters, the Brown-headed Honeyeater forages by probing in bark of trunks and branches of trees.
Brown-headed honeyeaters may nest from July to December, breeding once or twice during this time. The nest is a thick-walled bowl of grasses and bits of bark lined with softer plant material hidden in the outer foliage of a tall tree, usually a eucalypt. Two or three eggs are laid, 16 x 13 mm and shiny buff-pink sparsely spotted with red-brown (more on larger end).