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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Meliphagidae
  4. ›
  5. Philemon
  6. ›
  7. Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Friarbird
Photo · (c) Rolf Lawrenz, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Noisy Friarbird

Philemon corniculatus(Latham, 1790)

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Native
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Meliphagidae
Genus
Philemon

At a glance

The Noisy Friarbird is a medium-sized bird, about 30–35 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
30–35 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Noisy Friarbird look like?

The Noisy Friarbird is a medium-sized bird, about 30–35 cm long and weighing 85–149 g.

The noisy friarbird is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southern New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is one of several species known as friarbirds whose heads are bare of feathers. It is brown-grey in colour, with a prominent knob on its bare black-skinned head. It feeds on insects and nectar.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
30–35 cm
Weight
85–149 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Noisy Friarbird?

The Noisy Friarbird 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

prossington · Major Mitchell Reserve, Blaxland, NSW, AU

Call

Martin Rady · Mount Cotton QLD 4165, Australia

Call

Martin Rady · Mount Nebo QLD 4520, Australia

Call

Tim · Royal National Park NSW 2233, Australia

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Noisy Friarbird eat?

The Noisy Friarbird feeds on fruit, nectar/pollen, terrestrial invertebrates and terrestrial vertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Noisy Friarbird live in Australia?

The Noisy Friarbird is native to Australia, recorded across 34 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSouth-central New Guinea and east Australia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Vagrant
  • Non-breeding
  • Breeding

7 regions recorded