Blue-Faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis) lives in open woodland across Northern Australia, New Guinea. It feeds on nectar and insects. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Blue-Faced Honeyeater
- Researchers banded 422 blue-faced honeyeaters between 1953 and 1997; 109 were later recovered, and 107 of those were found within just 10 km (6.2 mi) of where they were tagged. This ultra-local fidelity shows the birds rarely travel far from their home territory.
- Blue-faced honeyeaters often take over and renovate old babbler nests, laying two or rarely three eggs inside. They have been recorded re-using nests of grey-crowned babblers, chestnut-crowned babblers, noisy miners and even magpies, reshaping the old structure with fresh sticks and bark.
- Molecular clock studies place the split between the blue-faced honeyeater and its closest relatives, the Melithreptus honeyeaters, at 12.8 to 6.4 million years ago in the Miocene. Its much larger size, brighter plumage and more gregarious habits compared with its smaller, duller cousins.
- At around 29.5 cm (11.6 in) in length, the blue-faced species is large for a honeyeater, with a wingspan of 44 cm (17.5 in) and a weight of about 105 g (3.7 oz).
- The longest-lived individual was banded in May 1990 at Kingaroy, central Queensland, and was found dead on a road in September 1998, a lifespan of 8 years and 3.5 months, only 2 km (1.2 mi) from its original capture site.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeNorthern Australia, New Guinea
HabitatOpen woodland
DietNectar and insects
About the Blue-Faced Honeyeater
In the sun-drenched woodlands of northern Australia, the blue-faced honeyeater dances through the trees with an air of effortless elegance, its iridescent feathers glimmering like polished jewels as it flits from branch to branch in pursuit of nectar and insects. With its bold, inquisitive nature, this remarkable bird weaves a trail of vibrant colour and energetic movement, its very presence seeming to embody the joy and exuberance of the tropical landscape. As it moves, its bright blue face patch flashes like a beacon, a striking signature that sets this honeyeater apart as a true marvel of the Australian wilderness.
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