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Photo by Neil Fifer
Photo taken: Australia.

Lichenostomus penicillatus

[edit] Identification

Yellow-olive to grey above, pale brown-grey below, yellow head, white neck-plume,slightly down-curved bill. The males are slightly larger but the sexes are otherwise similar. Young are duller, with less distinct plumes and a paler bill.

[edit] Distribution

Australia.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Habitat

Open forests and woodlands, often near water and wetlands. It is strongly associated with Red River Gums.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes nectar, insects, manna and fruit, with some seeds; it feeds very actively from leaves and flowers in the crowns of trees and in shrubs between 5 m and 13 m from the ground.

Females build a small cup-shaped nest, woven from grass and spider web and lined with wool, hair or feathers, in the crown of a tree. The females incubate the eggs but both parents feed the young, sometimes with the assistance of helpers. Two to three clutches are laid each year.

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID