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Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta) Alternate name(s): "Sanguineous Honeyeater", "Bloodbird*", "Crimson Honeyeater", "Scarlet Myzomela" Size: 10-11 cm Body mass: 6-12 g

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Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Scarlet Honeyeaters are very small nectar-eating birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Scarlet Honeyeaters have an all-scarlet head, except for dark lores, an all-scarlet back, down to the rump, and a scarlet chest. The scarlet colour transitions into white towards the belly and vent. The wings are dark-grey, with white edge-lining of the flight feathers. The tail is also dark-grey. The long, slightly down-curved bill is black and the legs and feet are grey. Female Scarlet Honeyeaters are mostly greyish-brown, with a creamy belly and vent. They have a reddish tint on their cheeks and chin. The wing feathers are darker grey-brown. The long, slightly down-curved bill is dark-grey. The eyes of both sexes have dark-brown irises, while the legs and feet are grey. Juvenile Scarlet Honeyeaters are similar to females, but browner overall. Young male birds moulting into adult plumage can be patchy scarlet. Twitcher's tip Compared with Red-headed Honeyeaters, Scarlet Honeyeaters have an all-scarlet back and also scarlet down their front (to the belly).

Taxonomy, classification See Scarlet Myzomela 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 Scarlet Honeyeater is available HERE . Scarlet Honeyeaters are endemic to Australia and some islands along Torres Strait. They live along the Australian East coast, from Cape Melville, QLD, in the North to the NSW/VIC border in the South. They are also found in the eastern parts of the Great Dividing Range, but only occasionally extend their range further West, sometimes well into the plains of the interior (e.g. as far as Walgett, NSW). Scarlet Honeyeaters are usually found in coastal forest, often high up in the crowns of eucalypts, but also in mangroves. Inland they can be found in open sclerophyll forest. They are most easily seen and photographed in gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "sanguinolenta" Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", were first spotted by us in November 2006 in Dorrigo NP, NSW. They have also been spotted by us, and reported by contributors, in many different locations throughout southern and central QLD, near-coastal areas throughout eastern NSW, and farther South, into eastern VIC. In September 2012 several Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", were first spotted on the western slopes of Mt. Kaputar NP, about 40 km East of Narrabri, NSW. A small number of Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", was later found at Waa Gorge, Mt. Kaputar NP. A single male Scarlet Honeyeater, race "sanguinolenta", was spotted at Terry Hie Hie, NSW, in June 2013, where C. Hayne reports spotting them occasionally. M. Adam-Cross reports spotting a Scarlet Honeyeater, race "sanguinolenta", at Yarramundi, NSW, in January 2014. In December 2015 we heard Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", calling near the access road to Capertee NP, near Mudgee, NSW. J. Higgins reports spotting a pair of Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", at Avoca, western VIC, in October 2013, where they were seen feeding on the nectar of a bottlebrush (Callistemon salignus). This location is right on the south-western edge of the species' range. R. Plumtree also reports spotting Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", at Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, in November/December 2014. M. Mearns found Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", in a rural garden in Kingaroy, QLD, in January 2020. Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", were found by us during a major flowering event in the Pilliga NP in May 2020. Next, they were found in Pilliga West SCA in May 2021. V. Collins reports finding Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", at Newcastle Airport, Newcastle, NSW, in December 2020. M. Eaton reports spotting Scarlet Honeyeaters, race "sanguinolenta", in various locations along the eastern coastal fringe of QLD, e.g. near Anstead, QLD, in July 2017, and at Tannum Sands, Gladstone, QLD, in June 2021.

Photos

Race "sanguinolenta"

ADULT

PAIR

Pair of Scarlet Honeyeaters at a waterhole (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

MALE

Frontal view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2014]

Near-frontal of a male Scarlet Honeyeater taking nectar from a Callistemon (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Yungaburra, QLD, September 2020]

Near-lateral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Kingaroy, QLD, April 2020]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater issuing its call (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2012]

Lateral of a male Scarlet Honeyeater taking nectar from a Callistemon (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Yungaburra, QLD, September 2020]

Lateral of a male Scarlet Honeyeater in "camouflage colours" (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Yungaburra, QLD, September 2023]

Lateral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater in a grevillea (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2012]

Lateral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater in a grevillea (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2012]

Lateral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Higgins)
[Avoca, VIC, October 2013]

Lateral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, October 2016]

Partly obscured lateral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Kingaroy, QLD, May 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Anstead, QLD, July 2017]

View onto the upperparts of a male Scarlet Honeyeater hanging from a grevillea flower (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2012]

This male Scarlet Honeyeater is probably moulting into its first adult plumage (photo courtesy of M. Adam-Cross)
[Yarramundi, NSW, January 2014]

This male Scarlet Honeyeater is probably moulting into its first adult plumage (photo courtesy of M. Adam-Cross)
[Yarramundi, NSW, January 2014]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2012]

Near-frontal view of a female Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of an immature male Scarlet Honeyeater moulting into adult plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, August 2019]

Frontal view of a juvenile Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Yungaburra, QLD, August 2020]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Scarlet Honeyeater; note the absence of orange-red feathers around the forehead and their scarcity around the throat, indicating that this is probably a young male (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, July 2012]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile female Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Anstead, QLD, July 2017]

Lateral view of a juvenile female Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Kyogle, NSW, August 2013]

Lateral view of a juvenile Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Anstead, QLD, July 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Scarlet Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Anstead, QLD, July 2017]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair

Frontal of a male Scarlet Honeyeater taking nectar from a Callistemon (Bottlebrush); this is a demonstration how scarlet can be a camouflage colour (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Yungaburra, QLD, September 2020]

Food, Diet

Male Scarlet Honeyeater feeding on nectar (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hillview Court Reserve, Dayboro, QLD, May 2020]

Lateral view of a male Scarlet Honeyeater feeding on the nectar of a grevillea (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, July 2012]

Male Scarlet Honeyeater feeding on nectar from flowers of a eucalypt - note that the bird is smaller than the eucalypt leaves...
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, September 2012]

Immature male Scarlet Honeyeater visiting a budding flower (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

Male Scarlet Honeyeater drinking from a waterhole (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

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.

scarhon_me_20191222.m4a	sanguinolenta (SE QLD)	Contact calls (pair Q&A)	© ME
scarhon_20200531_2.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	Contact call? (female)	© MD
scarhon_20200531.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	Territorial call (male)	© MD
scarhon_20200531_4.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	Territorial calls (male)	© MD
scarhon_20210409.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	Territorial calls (male)	© MD
scarhon_20200609_3.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	Competing for food source	© MD
scarhon_20200609_4.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	Males squabbling	© MD
scarhon_20170810.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	Various (plus some bkgd calls)	© MD
scarhon_20160920.m4a	sanguinolenta (NE NSW)	?	© MD
scarhon_20210808.m4a	sanguinolenta (NW NSW)	?	© MD

More Scarlet 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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