18 |
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Rufous-banded HoneyeaterAlternate name(s): "White-throated Honeyeater", "Rufous-breasted Honeyeater" Size: 12-13 cm Weight: 10-14 g |
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Photos |
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater; note the white
throat giving the species its name of "albogularis"
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Frontal view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater, different posture
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Sanctuary Lakes Park, Palmerston, NT, March 2018]
Frontal/ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Sanctuary Lakes Park, Palmerston, NT, March 2018]
Partly obscured frontal/ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Sanctuary Lakes Park, Palmerston, NT, February 2018]
Near-frontal/ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, May 2018]
Near-lateral/ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Sanctuary Lakes Park, Palmerston, NT, March 2018]
Lateral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, March 2013]
Lateral/ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Lateral/ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater, checking the underside
of the foliage for psyllids
or lerps
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Near-dorsal view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, October 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater, here seen preening
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, October 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, October 2020]
Ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater hanging upside down,
looking for psyllids
or lerps
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater hanging upside down,
looking for psyllids
or lerps
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Frontal view of a juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater; note the pale
gape and the inconspicuous breast band
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kakadu NP,
NT, July 2020]
Near-lateral view of a juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kakadu NP,
NT, July 2020]
Lateral view of a juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater; note the pale
gape and the inconspicuous breast band
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Tiwi Park, Darwin, NT, June 2018]
Lateral view of a juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Tiwi Park, Darwin, NT, June 2018]
Lateral view of a juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mary River Wilderness Retreat, NT, July 2020]
Adult, left, with a dependent juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nakara, Darwin, NT, March 2020]
Lateral view of a dependent juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater
exploring what is, and what isn't, edible; this is one of the
two birds whose
calls were
recorded on 3 March 2020
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nakara, Darwin, NT, March 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a dependent juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater;
this is one of the two birds whose
calls were
recorded on 3 March 2020
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nakara, Darwin, NT, March 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a dependent juvenile Rufous-banded Honeyeater;
this is one of the two birds whose
calls were
recorded on 3 March 2020
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nakara, Darwin, NT, March 2020]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Sep - Mar | Eggs: 2 - 3 | Incubation period: 12 days | Fledging age: 11-13 days |
Given the right conditions, Rufous-banded Honeyeaters can breed almost any time of the year. The period listed in the table above is the core breeding period. They usually have two broods per season.
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Suspended basket | Material: Bark fibres, plant down, webs, soft lining | Height above ground: 1 - 10 m |
Rufous-banded Honeyeater working on its nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT,
March 2021]
Very well-hidden Rufous-banded Honeyeater nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, April 2020]
Rufous-banded Honeyeater at its nest, which is suspended from
the outermost twigs at the end of a thin branch; note how,
characteristically, one side is much higher than the other
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, November 2020]
Rufous-banded Honeyeater delivering food for its chicks, which
are still so small that the adult bird must reach far down into
the nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, November 2020]
Rufous-banded Honeyeater waiting for a moment after a food
delivery, to see whether a poo sac needs to be removed
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, November 2020]
Rufous-banded Honeyeater departing from its nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR,
NT, May 2018]
Rufous-banded Honeyeater nest in the crown of a tree, close to
branches that can carry the weight of a predator; note the
difference compared to the nest shown above, where no such
weight-carrying branch is present
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fannie Bay, Darwin, NT, May 2018]
Two days later the Rufous-banded Honeyeater nest had been destroyed
and the chicks had been taken
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fannie Bay, Darwin, NT, May 2018]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 18 x 13 mm | Colour: Creamy, with sparse light-brown speckles | Shape: Tapered oval |
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Food, Diet |
Lateral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater taking a lerp
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Ventral view of a Rufous-banded Honeyeater hanging upside down,
taking a psyllid
or lerp
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Rufous-banded Honeyeater with its prey, a flying insect
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR,
NT, May 2018]
This Rufous-banded Honeyeater has caught a caterpillar
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR,
NT, May 2018]
Rufous-banded Honeyeater coming in for a drink from a man-made waterhole
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2019]
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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.
rufbhon_20140817.m4a | (Top End, NT) | Contact call? | © MD | |
rufbhon_pb_20190107.m4a | (Top End, NT) | Contact calls? | © PB | |
rufbhon_20140820.m4a | (Top End, NT) | Various | © MD | |
rufbhon_pb_20200303.m4a | (Top End, NT) | Begging calls (juveniles) | © PB |
More Rufous-banded Honeyeater sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.