From Opus

Photo by Tannin
Kilawarra, central-eastern Victoria, Australia, October 2005

Melithreptus brevirostris

[edit] Identification

• Olive green upperparts
• Grey or buff underparts
  

Head

• Brown
• Pale line across back

• Yellow-orange eyering
• Dark eye
  

Juveniles have blue eyering

Juvenile
Photo by Rose Fletcher
Nangawooka Flora Reserve, Victor Harbor, South Australia, April 2008

[edit] Distribution

Australia: found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

There are 5 subspecies:

• M. b. brevirostris:

• South-eastern Australia (north-eastern New South Wales to southern Victoria and far south-eastern South Australia)

• M. b. wombeyi:

• Southern Victoria (OtwayPeninsula and Gippsland)

• M. b. pallidiceps:

• South-central Queensland to north-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia

• M. b. magnirostris:

• Kangaroo Island (South Australia)

• M. b. leucogenys:

• Southern Western Australia to Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

An additional subspecies M.b. augustus is generally considered invalid^[1].

[edit] Habitat

Rainforest, eucalypt forest, woodlands, swamp-woodlands. Scrublands - mallee, belar; coastal tea-tree; banksia scrubs.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The food includes mainly insects with some nectar.

[edit] Breeding

It builds a cup shaped nest from bark, grass, animal hair, bound with spiderweb.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. Birds in Backyards
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links