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18

Bar-breasted Honeyeater

(Ramsayornis fasciatus)
Alternate name(s): "Fasciated Honeyeater", "White-breasted Honeyeater"
Size: 13-15 cm
Weight: 11-16 g

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Bar-breasted Honeyeater at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Bar-breasted Honeyeater with pollen stuck to its frons (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2020]

Frontal view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, July 2020]

Frontal/ventral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Frontal/ventral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 3 September 2019
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, September 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, October 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, July 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, August 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2020]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Close-up lateral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Lateral/ventral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Holmes Jungle Nature Park, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, September 2018]

Lateral/ventral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin River Dam, near Darwin, NT, August 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, October 2019]

Ventral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater in flight (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater banking to land (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, January 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin River Dam, near Darwin, NT, August 2017]

Near-frontal views of a juvenile Bar-breasted Honeyeater checking its surroundings, left and right
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Daly River Road, near Nauiyu, NT, July 2020]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Bar-breasted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Jan Eggs: 3 - 4 Incubation period: ? Fledging age: ?

Given the right conditions, Bar-breasted Honeyeaters can breed any time of the year.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Domed hanging bottle Material: Paperbark strips Height above ground: 1 - ? m

Frontal view into the opening of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater nest, with a chick peeking out (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Knuckey Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, May 2021]

Lateral view of a Bar-breasted Honeyeater nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Knuckey Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, May 2021]

One of the Bar-breasted Honeyeater owners of the nest shown above (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Knuckey Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, May 2021]

Bar-breasted Honeyeater nest in a totally open setting, low above water (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, April 2023]

Bar-breasted Honeyeater at the entrance of its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, April 2023]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 21 x 14 mm Colour: Creamy, with light-brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

Food, Diet

We have seen Bar-breasted Honeyeaters taking both nectar and insects.

Bar-breasted Honeyeater taking nectar from a grevillea (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2021]

Bar-breasted Honeyeater taking nectar from melaleuca flowers (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Bar-breasted Honeyeater taking nectar from small flowers
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Bar-breasted Honeyeater taking nectar from small flowers
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

barbhon_pb_20190903.m4a (Top End, NT) Defending food source (against Brown Honeyeater) © PB

More Bar-breasted Honeyeater sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.