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The brown honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It belongs to the honeyeaters, a group of birds which have highly developed brush-tipped tongues adapted for nectar feeding. Honeyeaters are found mainly in Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia, but the brown honeyeater is unique in that it also occurs on the island of Bali, making it the only honeyeater to be found west of the Wallace Line, the biogeographical boundary between the Australian-Papuan and Oriental zoogeographical regions.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The brown honeyeater is a medium-small, plain grey-brown honeyeater with a body length of 12–16 centimetres (4.7–6.3 in), a wingspan of 18–23 centimetres (7.1–9.1 in), and an average weight of 9–11 grams (0.32–0.39 oz). The female is slightly smaller than the male, but the sexes differ only slightly in appearance. The head, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are brown, and the wings a darker brown. The only distinguishing features are a small yellow patch behind the eye, which is indistinct in some birds, and dull yellow-olive panels in the folded wings and tail. Voice: The nondescript brown honeyeater has a noteworthy song, usually described in superlatives. "A glorious voice, easily the best songster among Australian honeyeaters," is how one study of West Australian birds noted. "As a singer it has no superior among the honeyeater family, or for that matter, among Australian birds," said another report.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Brown Honeyeater sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in August · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Grey-eared HoneyeaterLichmera incanaThe grey-eared honeyeater is 13 to 17 cm long with the males being larger than the females.
Flame-eared HoneyeaterLichmera flavicansThe flame-eared honeyeater, also known as the yellow-eared honeyeater, is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae.
Scaly-breasted HoneyeaterLichmera squamataThe scaly-breasted honeyeater, also known as the white-tufted honeyeater, is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae.
Learn the Brown Honeyeater for real
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