How big is a Brown-backed Honeyeater?

The Brown-backed Honeyeater is a tiny sized bird weighing about 12 g.

Where can you see a Brown-backed Honeyeater?

The Brown-backed Honeyeater occurs in 3 countries, including Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

What birds look similar to a Brown-backed Honeyeater?

The Brown-backed Honeyeater is most easily confused with the Bar-breasted Honeyeater.

Is the Brown-backed Honeyeater endangered?

The Brown-backed Honeyeater is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Brown-backed Honeyeater

Ramsayornis modestus

Honeyeaters · Passeriformes · Uncommon

The Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus) is a uncommon honeyeater found in 3 countries, weighing about 12 g. The brown-backed honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae.

Least ConcernUncommonEats invertebratesshrublanddome nest12 g

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 1 — Photo: Kai Squires · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 2 — Photo: Kai Squires · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 3 — Photo: Matt B · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 4 — Photo: Matt B · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 5 — Photo: Tim from Ithaca · CC BY 2.0

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 6 — Photo: Kai Squires · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 7 — Photo: Kai Squires · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 8 — Photo: Kai Squires · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 9 — Photo: Matt B · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), photo 10 — Photo: Matt B · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

About the Brown-backed Honeyeater

The brown-backed honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found in New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The Brown-backed honeyeater is small in size, measuring around 11–12cm in length with a weight of 11–14 g. The average wingspan is 6.2–7 cm (2.4 to 2.7 in), and the bill is 1.5–1.8 cm in length. Like the name suggests, it has a brown back with brown streaks across an otherwise white chest and belly, and a red bill. Similar in appearance to the Bar-breasted Honeyeater, but with a differing facial pattern. Voice: Calls include a rapid mick, mick, and a chattering shee-shee.

Where it lives

Australia Indonesia Papua New Guinea

When to see it

Best months: January, February, March, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in October. It is a variable species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Bar-breasted HoneyeaterRamsayornis fasciatus

Quick questions

How do you identify a Brown-backed Honeyeater?: The Brown-backed honeyeater is small in size, measuring around 11–12cm in length with a weight of 11–14 g. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Brown-backed Honeyeater?: The Brown-backed Honeyeater is a tiny sized bird weighing about 12 g.
Where can you see a Brown-backed Honeyeater?: The Brown-backed Honeyeater occurs in 3 countries, including Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
What birds look similar to a Brown-backed Honeyeater?: The Brown-backed Honeyeater is most easily confused with the Bar-breasted Honeyeater.
Is the Brown-backed Honeyeater endangered?: The Brown-backed Honeyeater is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Brown-backed Honeyeater for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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