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18

Varied Honeyeater (Gavicalis versicolor) Size: 18-21 cm Weight: 32-36 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 Varied Honeyeaters are medium-sized nectar-eating birds. Their most prominent feature are conspicuous black eye stripes above a yellow throat and a white patch unter the ear coverts. The front is yellow from throat to belly, with some brown streaking on breast and belly. The vent and undertail coverts are pale-yellow. The back is brownish-grey; only the flight feathers have yellowish-olive leading edges. The tail is grey. The irises are dark-brown. The slightly down-curved bill is dark-grey, while the legs and feet are grey. Twitcher's tip Compared with both Mangrove Honeyeaters and Singing Honeyeaters, Varied Honeyeaters show much more yellow down their front.

Taxonomy, classification See Varied Honeyeater at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information The classification of Australian honeyeater species, mainly in the genus "Lichenostomus", has undergone a major revision, with many species now moved into several newly defined genera (Gavicalis, Stomiopera, Ptilotula, Nesoptilotis).

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 Varied Honeyeater is available HERE . The range of Varied Honeyeaters extends from West Papua (Indonesia) via New Guinea to north-eastern Australia. In Australia, the range of Varied Honeyeaters is limited to a narrow coastal fringe along the Australian North-East coast, from about Townsville, QLD, to the tip of Cape York. At the southern end of their distribution Varied Honeyeaters can hybridize with Mangrove Honeyeaters. Varied Honeyeaters have a preference for mangroves.

Sightings Click here for sighting information B. Hensen reports spotting Varied Honeyeaters in Cairns, QLD, in June 2013 and again in December 2018. M. Eaton found Varied Honeyeaters in Cairns, QLD, in July 2018.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Varied Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Near-lateral view of a Varied Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Near-lateral view of a Varied Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, December 2018]

Dorsal view of a Varied Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Food, Diet

Varied Honeyeater taking nectar (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, December 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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