Singing Honeyeater

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Singing Honeyeater

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Meliphagidae
Genus:	Lichenostomus
Species:	L. virescens

Binomial name

Lichenostomus virescens
(Vieillot, 1817)

The Singing Honeyeater, Lichenostomus virescens is a small bird found in Australia, and is part of the honeyeater family. Although it is common there, it is not very well known in other places.

Singing Honeyeaters are commonly found in Western Australia, mainly past the Great Dividing Range and on Western Australian Coastal Islands. They can also be spotted in city parks, gardens and in bushlands.

The Singing Honeyeater can vary in length from 18-22 cm long. It has a brown color, but it also has other, more distinctive, colors. The tail and wings have a yellow-green color. There is a small black stripe spanning from the behind the bird’s beak to the bird’s back. Under the line there is a small bright yellow spot. The bird’s song ranges from scratchy to melodious. The song also varies according to where they live.

Singing Honeyeaters will eat a variety of foods. This includes nectar, small insects, fruits, grubs, and berries. This makes them omnivorous creatures.

The Singing Honeyeaters breed between July and February. They are capable of forming long time relationships with partners. When they are breeding, they show aggressive actions. Also they don’t have any particular color for their eggs, they all are different colors. Their nest is a cup of grass, plant stems, and spider webs.

The Singing Honeyeater lives in families. They will attack larger animals, if they feel threatened by them, or if they are in their territory. They have been known to attack intruders in mobs thus showing they are a community-like bird.

They associate with other species of birds, such as the Brown Honeyeater and the Red Wattlebird. It is different from many birds however, because it lacks the ability to communicate with other birds of the same species. As a study by M.C. Baker (1996) showed, the birds of the mainland did not respond to the songs of singing honey eaters found on an island off Australia’s west coast. The study showed that the songs of the birds on the island were smaller, had less song types, syllable types, and fewer syllables and notes per song.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Lichenostomus virescens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2 February 2007. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
"Birds in Backyards - Singing Honeyeater (Lichenostomus virescens) Fact sheet." Birds in Backyards.[1]
Baker, M.C.. Depauperate meme pool of vocal signals in an island population of singing honeyeaters. 51:4. Academic Press, 1996.
"Birds at the AALBG." Australian-Aridlands-Botanic-Garden.[2]