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18

Macleay's Honeyeater (Xanthotis macleayanus) Alternate name(s): "Yellow-streaked Honey-eater", "Mottle-plumaged Honeyeaters", "Buff-striped Honeyeater" Size: 19-21 cm

Australia: Family Group 18 Family Group 18 Table Yellow Wattlebird Red Wattlebird Little Wattlebird Western Wattlebird Regent Honeyeater Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Striped Honeyeater Helmeted Friarbird Silver-crowned Friarbird Noisy Friarbird Little Friarbird Blue-faced Honeyeater Bell Miner Yellow-throated Miner Noisy Miner Macleay's Honeyeater Tawny-breasted Honeyeater Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Lewin's Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater Graceful Honeyeater Bridled Honeyeater Eungella Honeyeater Singing Honeyeater Mangrove Honeyeater Varied Honeyeater White-lined Honeyeater White-gaped Honeyeater White-eared Honeyeater Yellow Honeyeater Yellow-throated Honeyeater Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Purple-gaped Honeyeater Grey-headed Honeyeater Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Grey-fronted Honeyeater Fuscous Honeyeater Yellow-tinted Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Brown Honeyeater Bar-breasted Honeyeater Brown-backed Honeyeater Rufous-throated Honeyeater Grey Honeyeater Tawny-crowned Honeyeater Rufous-banded Honeyeater New Holland Honeyeater White-cheeked Honeyeater Crescent Honeyeater White-fronted Honeyeater Painted Honeyeater Black-chinned Honeyeater White-throated Honeyeater Strong-billed Honeyeater White-naped Honeyeater Brown-headed Honeyeater Black-headed Honeyeater Eastern Spinebill Western Spinebill Banded Honeyeater Black Honeyeater Pied Honeyeater Scarlet Honeyeater Red-headed Honeyeater Dusky Honeyeater Olive-backed Sunbird Gibberbird Crimson Chat Orange Chat Yellow Chat White-fronted Chat Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Macleay's Honeyeaters are small nectar-eating birds. The head is near-black dark brown, with the exception of a brown ring around each eye and bold white scalloping on the back of the head that extends down the back and onto the dark-brown wings. The front is also heavily streaked, light-grey on olive-greenish brown. The vent is dark olive-brown, the tail is dark-brown. The irises are dark; the down-curved bill (which has a white gape), the legs and feet are all dark-grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Macleay's Honeyeater at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species 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 . The global distribution of Macleay's Honeyeater is available HERE . Macleay's Honeyeaters are endemic to Australia. Their range is restricted to a (near-)coastal strip along Queensland's East coast, from Black Mountain NP, just below Cape Melville, in the North to the hill range in the hinterland of Townsville in the South. Macleay's Honeyeaters have a preference for rainforest and mangrove, but will also enter gardens and banana plantations.

Sightings Click here for sighting information B. Hensen reports spotting Macleay's Honeyeaters at Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, in July 2013. R. Russell found a Macleay's Honeyeaters at Mount Molloy, QLD, in July 2015. M. Eaton reports finding a Macleay's Honeyeaters at Julatten, QLD, in July 2018. A. Lee reports spotting Macleay's Honeyeaters regularly at East Russell, near Cairns, QLD. A. Ross-Taylor found a Macleay's Honeyeater at Daintree NP, QLD, in May 2022.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Macleay's Honeyeater (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, May 2020]

Near-frontal view of a Macleay's Honeyeater; note that the bird's face is covered with pollen(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Lateral view of a Macleay's Honeyeater with its head turned away, exposing the characteristic streaked nape of its neck
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a Macleay's Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Dorsal view of a Macleay's Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Ventral view of a Macleay's Honeyeater (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Daintree NP, QLD, May 2022]

Food, Diet

Macleay's Honeyeater taking nectar from flowers; again, one can see how the bird's head is covered with pollen
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Macleay's Honeyeater taking nectar from a grevillea (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Hand-tame (but wild!) Macleay's Honeyeater eating from a proffered banana (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.

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