Melithreptus albogularis
The White-throated Honeyeater is a small, striking passerine belonging to the diverse family Meliphagidae, renowned for its distinctive white throat contrasting sharply with a glossy black head and nape. Measuring approximately 13-16 cm in length and weighing 15-20 grams, its upperparts are a vibrant olive-green, with pale off-white underparts. A prominent orange-yellow wattle or patch of bare skin around the eye is a key identification feature, though it can be duller in juveniles. Taxonomic...
This honeyeater primarily inhabits open eucalypt forests, woodlands, paperbark swamps, and mangrove fringes, occasionally venturing into suburban gardens. It is generally found at low elevations, typically below 500 meters.
Their diet mainly consists of nectar, insects (including caterpillars and beetles), lerps, honeydew, and occasionally small fruits, which they obtain by gleaning, probing, and hawking.
White-throated Honeyeaters are diurnal and highly active, often observed foraging in small, cohesive family groups or joining mixed-species flocks. Their foraging strategy primarily involves gleaning insects and lerps from foliage, probing flowers for nectar, and occasionally hawking insects in f...
The White-throated Honeyeater boasts a broad distribution across northern and eastern Australia, extending into southern New Guinea. In Australia, its range encompasses the Top End of the Northern Territory, coastal and sub-coastal Queensland, the northern parts of Western Australia (particularly...
Least Concern
- White-throated Honeyeaters are known cooperative breeders, with non-breeding individuals (often offspring from previous broods) assisting parents in raising young. - They are remarkably agile, often observed hanging upside down to access nectar from flowers or glean insects from leaf undersides...