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18

Purple-gaped Honeyeater (Lichenostomus cratitius) Alternate name(s): "Wattle-cheeked Honey-eater", "Lilac-wattled Honeyeater" Size: 16-19 cm Weight: 19-23 g

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 Purple-gaped Honeyeaters are small to medium-sized nectar-eating birds. They have a yellowish throat and a grey whisp and a small yellow tuft on the ear coverts. The top of the head is grey, with darker grey patches around the eyes and on the ear coverts. The rest of the front is pale-grey from chest to undertail coverts. The back is greyish-olive, with greyish-brown flight feathers with olive-green leading edges. The rump is dark-grey; the tail is grey with some olive-green. The irises are dark-brown. The slightly down-curved bill is black, while the legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have duller colours and their gape is still yellow.

Taxonomy, classification See Purple-gaped 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 the Purple-gaped Honeyeater is available HERE . Purple-gaped Honeyeaters are endemic to southern Australia. Nominate race "cratitius" is found only on Kangaroo Island, near Adelaide, SA. The continental race "occidentalis" (formerly "halmaturina") has two major populations. One resides in the southern parts of WA, from the western edge of the Nullarbor, along the South coast, to about Albany, WA. The other ranges from the eastern edge of the Nullarbor, all through Eyre peninsula and south-eastern SA (except the very far south-eastern tip, on the border to VIC) and the north-western quarter of VIC, from just to the North of Melbourne to the border region of VIC/SA and NSW. Occasional sightings in the Nullarbor indicate that these two populations are still connected. Purple-gaped Honeyeaters have a preference for mallee and woodland, often with shrubby undergrowth.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "cratitius" J. Greaves reports spotting Purple-gaped Honeyeaters, nominate race "cratitius", in Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, SA, in March 2016. Race "occidentalis" R. Plumtree reports spotting a Purple-gaped Honeyeater, continental race "occidentalis", between Berri and Renmark, SA, in September 2018.

Photos

Race "cratitius"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Purple-gaped Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]

Near-frontal view of a Purple-gaped Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Purple-gaped Honeyeater; note the characteristic purple skin patch on the gape, reaching from the base of the bill to the ear covert (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]

Race "occidentalis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Dorsal view of a Purple-gaped Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Between Berri and Renmark, SA, September 2018]

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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