FAMILY NAME: Meliphagidae SCIENTIFIC NAME: Meliphaga lewinii SUBSPECIES: mab, and amphochlora.
SIZE: 19cm to 22cm. (7" to 9") tip to tail.
LOCATION: Inhabits the rainforests and wet eucalypt forests of coastal eastern Australia. Altitudinal migration takes place between autumn and winter.
BREEDING: The breeding season is between August and January, laying 2 to 3 eggs in an untidy, but sturdy, cup of bark, leaves, grass, moss and spider's web, then lined with the down of plants. These nests are established in trees with dense foliage, and at a height up to 6m. Both parents care for their young.
GENERAL: There are three "look-alike" species of honeyeater, of which this is the largest and darkest. The other two of the trio are the "Spotted" and the "Graceful" Honeyeaters. Their diet consists of nectar, fruit, berries and insects. They are confident birds, and may be found singly, in pairs or small groups.
References:
Michael Morecombe.
Field Guide to Australian Birds, Complete Compact Edtion.Ken Simpson - Nicholas Day.
The Birds of Australia.M. Blakers - S. J. J. F. Davies - P. N. Reilly.
The Atlas of Australian Birds.Birds in Backyards.
www.birdsinbackyards.netGraham Pizzey - Frank Knight.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.
