streaked with shades of olives, yellow, and black (Australia; 2006-06-20)


Macleay's Honeyeater
Xanthotis macleayanus

Native Range: Australia

Notes: nearly 200 species of honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) are aptly-named birds of the Australian Region; nectar from flowers constitutes a large part of their diet, and in return they provide pollination services for their plant hosts; collectively, these birds have adapted to many niches and are a colorful and prominent part of the Australian avifauna; thus, to some extent they are the ecological analogues of hummingbirds in the Americas and the sunbirds in Africa; Macleay's Honeyeater is endemic to rainforest patches in Queensland, Australia.

ventral view; sharply pointed, slightly decurved bill (Australia; 2006-06-20)
side view; yellow face markings; black crown (Australia; 2006-06-20)

dorsal view; wings spotted in beige and gray (Australia; 2006-06-20)
prominently perched (Australia; 2006-06-20)

appropriately eating honey or jam (Australia; 2006-06-20)
posing for a portrait (Australia; 2006-06-20)