Melithreptus affinis
The Black-headed Honeyeater (Melithreptus affinis) is a small, striking passerine endemic to Tasmania and its surrounding Bass Strait islands. Measuring approximately 13-15 cm in length and weighing around 12-18 grams, it boasts a distinctive appearance: a glossy black head, a prominent white crescent sweeping across the nape, and bright olive-green upperparts. Its underparts are a duller yellowish-green, and a key identification feature is the conspicuous orange-red patch of bare skin surrou...
Primarily inhabits wet and dry sclerophyll forests, woodlands, and heathlands, particularly favoring areas dominated by Eucalyptus species. It occurs from sea level up to moderate elevations in mountainous regions.
Feeds primarily on nectar from flowering eucalypts and other native plants, supplemented by insects (spiders, beetles, caterpillars), manna (sweet secretions from eucalypt leaves), and honeydew (produced by sap-sucking insects). Forages by gleaning, probing, and occasionally hawking.
Black-headed Honeyeaters are diurnal and highly active, often observed gleaning insects and probing for nectar high in the canopy. Their foraging strategies include gleaning arthropods from leaves and bark, probing into flowering eucalypts for nectar, and occasionally hawking insects in flight. D...
The Black-headed Honeyeater is entirely endemic to the Australian state of Tasmania and several islands in the Bass Strait, including King Island, Flinders Island, and Cape Barren Island. This species is non-migratory, remaining within its island habitats year-round. Its distribution spans across...
Least Concern
- The Black-headed Honeyeater is one of only two honeyeater species (along with the Strong-billed Honeyeater) endemic to Tasmania and its Bass Strait islands. - Its distinctive white nape crescent earned it the alternative common name 'White-necked Honeyeater' in some historical texts. - Despite ...