Australia
SpeciesField NotesLog inDownload

Field notes

Stay in the loop

Get updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

By subscribing, I agree to receive BirdUp Australia updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

Australia
Download for iOSDownload for AndroidSpeciesField NotesRSSNewsletterBrandPrivacyTerms

BirdUp Australia Pty Ltd © 2026. Made in Australia for Australian birders.

  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Meliphagidae
  4. ›
  5. Melithreptus
  6. ›
  7. Black-headed Honeyeater
Black-headed Honeyeater
Photo · Lesson, 1839

BirdUp · Species

Black-headed Honeyeater

Melithreptus affinis(Lesson, RP, 1839)

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Meliphagidae
Genus
Melithreptus

At a glance

The Black-headed Honeyeater is a small bird, about 14 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
14 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Black-headed Honeyeater look like?

The Black-headed Honeyeater is a small bird, about 14 cm long and weighing 12–19 g.

The black-headed honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is one of two members of the genus Melithreptus endemic to Tasmania. Its natural habitats are temperate forest and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. Despite its name, the black-headed honeyeater eats predominantly insects.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
14 cm
Weight
12–19 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Black-headed Honeyeater?

The Black-headed Honeyeater is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

Maria Duynisveld · Channel Hwy at Oakleigh Av, Taroona TAS 7053, Australia

Call

Maria Duynisveld · Channel Hwy before Churchill Rd, Taroona TAS 7053, Australia

Call

Caleb Catto · Tasmania, Eugenana, TAS, AU

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Black-headed Honeyeater eat?

The Black-headed Honeyeater feeds on fruit, nectar/pollen and terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

The BirdUp app

Log your next Black-headed Honeyeater in the field

A pocket field journal for 850+ Australian birds. Offline-first, smart ID, and a lifelist that travels with you.

Get the appRead field notes
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report incorrect info

02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Black-headed Honeyeater live in Australia?

The Black-headed Honeyeater is endemic to Australia, recorded across 17 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingTasmania and Bass Strait is. (south-east Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Resident
  • Vagrant

8 regions recorded