- Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus
Identification
14–17 cm (5½-6¾ in)
Male
- Dark grey upperparts
- Pale brown-grey-white below
- Yellow wing patches
- White streak above eye
- Dark crescent across both sides of breast, white line below crescent
- White tail markings
- Red brown iris
- Downcurved bill
Subspecies halmaturina (Immature male)
Photo © by peterday
Cox Scrub Conservation Park, South Australia, December 2020
Photo © by peterday
Cox Scrub Conservation Park, South Australia, December 2020
Female
- Olive brown upperparts
- White-brown-grey below
- Olive yellow wing patches
- Olive crescent across both sides of breast
Distribution
South east Australia: found in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
Locally fairly common on the mainland, often common in Tasmania.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]
- P. p. pyrrhopterus:
- Hunter River, New South Wales to southern Victoria and south-eastern South Australia and Tasmania.
- P. p. halmaturinus:
- Mount Lofty Range and Kangaroo Island (South Australia)
Three additional subspecies - rex, inornatus and indistinctus are generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
Woodland, forest, scrub and heath and gardens.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes nectar, insects and fruit.
Breeding
The cup shaped nest is built by the female, from twigs, grass, bark, and plant materials; it is lined with moss, fur, and down. The eggs are incubated by the female; the young are fed by both parents.
References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Avibase
- Birds in Backyards
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Crescent Honeyeater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Crescent_Honeyeater
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
