Yellow-faced Honeyeater

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The yellow-faced honeyeater is a small to medium-sized bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. It takes its common and scientific names from the distinctive yellow stripes on the sides of its head. Its loud, clear call often begins twenty or thirty minutes before dawn. It is widespread across eastern and southeastern Australia, in open sclerophyll forests from coastal dunes to high-altitude subalpine areas, and woodlands along creeks and rivers. Comparatively short-billed for a honeyeater, it is thought to have adapted to a diet of flies, spiders, and beetles, as well as nectar and pollen from the flowers of plants, such as Banksia and Grevillea, and soft fruits. It catches insects in flight as well as gleaning them from the foliage of trees and shrubs.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

1. 01

   Distinct yellow stripe curving below eye

   A bright, narrow yellow line runs from the gape and arcs neatly under the eye.

2. 02

   Double black stripes framing yellow facial stripe

   Sharp black eyeline runs above the yellow stripe, with a second black malar stripe below.

3. 03

   Small white patch on ear coverts

   A clean white tuft of feathers located at the posterior end of the yellow facial stripe.

4. 04

   Olive-green panel on folded wing

   Distinct panel formed by olive-green outer edges of flight feathers when the wing is folded.