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Graceful Honeyeater
(Meliphaga gracilis)
: "Little Yellow-spotted Honey-eater", "Grey-breasted Honeyeater"
Size: 14-17 cm
Weight: 13-18 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Graceful Honeyeaters are small nectar-eating birds. Their
head is brownish-grey, with a roundish pale-yellow patch on the
ear coverts. They have a yellowish gape.
The front is light greyish-brown, the back darker grey-brown.
The primaries and the outer tail feathers have olive-green edges.
The irises are brown. The down-curved bill is dark-grey, while
legs and feet are grey.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared with Yellow-spotted
Honeyeaters, Graceful Honeyeaters are both smaller and lighter
of colour.
Compared with Lewin's
Honeyeaters, they are noticeably smaller and have a more rounded,
smaller yellow patch on their ear coverts, while the rest of the head
is lighter.
However, the distinction between Graceful Honeyeater and
Yellow-spotted
Honeyeater
is sufficiently difficult that, from the photo below, a professional
ornithologist identified it as Graceful, while 3 other experienced
birdwatchers labeled it a Yellow-spotted Honeyeater.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Graceful
Honeyeater at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Graceful Honeyeater is available
HERE
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Graceful Honeyeaters are found in New Guinea and north-eastern
Australia.
There are two races of Graceful Honeyeaters, of which
race "imitatrix"
is endemic to Australia.
Nominate race
"gracilis" populates the tip of Cape York peninsula
and the East coast of QLD, down to about Julatten, QLD.
South of Julatten, the range of race "imitatrix" extends
to about the
estuary
of the Burdekin River in QLD.
Graceful Honeyeaters have a preference for wet
forest.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "gracilis"
B. Hensen reports spotting a Graceful Honeyeater, race
"gracilis",
at Julatten, QLD, in July 2013.
R. Russell spotted a Graceful Honeyeater, race
"gracilis",
at Mount Molloy, QLD, in June 2015.
M. Eaton found Graceful Honeyeaters, race
"gracilis",
at Julatten, QLD, in July 2018. Another was found at Paluma Rainforest,
near Townsville, QLD, in September 2020.
Race "imitatrix"
M. Eaton reports finding a Graceful Honeyeater, race
"imitatrix",
at Chili Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in August 2019.
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Photos |
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Race "gracilis"
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ADULT |
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Frontal view of a Graceful Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]
The same Graceful Honeyeater as above, slightly different posture
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]
Lateral view of a Graceful Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2018]
Race "imitatrix"
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ADULT |
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Frontal view of a Graceful Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Chili Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]
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Food, Diet |
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Honeyeaters of the genus Meliphaga are known to pierce the
skin/peel of large fruit to get inside.
Graceful Honeyeater taking nectar from a
Grevillea
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Chili Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]
Graceful Honeyeater at a pierced large fruit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2018]
Graceful Honeyeater taking the flesh of a fruit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2018]
Lateral view of a Graceful Honeyeater scavenging food
(photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, June 2015]
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.