From Opus

Alternative name: Dusky Honeyeater

Subspecies obscura
Photo by Pearly_Shells
Mount Molloy, Queensland, Australia, August 2004

Myzomela obscura

[edit] Identification

12-15cm.

• Dark grey brown upperparts
• Paler underparts
• Dark eye patch
• Black iris
• Brown legs and feet
• Downcurved black bill

Subspecies rubrobrunnea
Photo by mehdhalaouate
Supiori, Indonesia, August 2004

[edit] Distribution

Asia and Australasia
Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Lesser Sundas, Maluku Islands
Australasia: Papua New Guinea, Australia: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Melanesia

[edit] Taxonomy

It is a Meliphagidae (honeyeaters and allies) member of the passerine family.

[edit] Subspecies

There are 8 subspecies^[1]:

• M. o. aruensis:

• Aru Islands (New Guinea)

• M. o. rubrobrunnea:

• Biak Island (New Guinea)

• M. o. fumata:

• Southern New Guinea (Vogelkop to Port Moresby), Boigu and Saibai islands (north Torres Straits)

• M. o. simplex:

• Northern Moluccas (Halmahera, Damar, Ternate, Tidore and Bacan)

• M. o. rubrotincta:

• Northern Moluccas (Obi and Bisa)

• M. o. mortyana:

• Morotai (northern Moluccas)

• M. o. obscura :

• Northern Territory (Melville and Bathurst is. and Arnhem Land)

• M. o. harterti:

• Northern and eastern Queensland (southern Torres Straits islands south to Noosa)

[edit] Habitat

Woodland, scrubland, forests, always near water.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects and nectar.

[edit] Breeding

They build a cup shaped nest from bark, leaves and spiders' webs. The clutch consits of 2 red-spotted white eggs.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Avibase
3. James Cook University
4. Wikipedia

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID