Meliphacator provocator
The Kadavu Honeyeater (Meliphacator provocator) is a striking, medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 18-20 cm in length and weighing 25-35 grams. Its plumage features a vibrant olive-green back and wings, contrasting sharply with bright sulfur-yellow underparts. A distinctive broad black mask extends from the lores through the eye to the auriculars, bordered above by a delicate, iridescent azure-blue supercilium and below by a clean white malar stripe. Further enhancing its unique appea...
Primarily found in moist lowland and montane rainforests, the Kadavu Honeyeater also frequents coastal scrub and mature secondary growth across Kadavu Island, Fiji, from sea level up to the highest peaks.
The Kadavu Honeyeater feeds predominantly on nectar from a variety of native flowering plants, supplemented by a significant intake of small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or caught in flight, and occasionally small fruits.
The Kadavu Honeyeater is a highly active, diurnal species, particularly vocal and conspicuous during dawn and dusk. Foraging primarily involves probing deep into blossoms for nectar with its specialized decurved bill, but it also adeptly gleans insects from foliage and occasionally sallies forth ...
The Kadavu Honeyeater is strictly endemic to Kadavu Island, the fourth largest island in Fiji, located in the South Pacific. Its range is confined to this single island, where it is distributed across suitable forest habitats from coastal lowlands to the highest points of the volcanic interior, r...
Vulnerable
- The Kadavu Honeyeater's incredibly loud, whistling song can be heard from over a kilometer away, despite the bird's relatively small size. - Its scientific name, *provocator*, is a direct reference to its notoriously aggressive territorial displays and challenging vocalizations. - Local Fijian ...