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White-eared Honeyeater (Nesoptilotis leucotis) Aboriginal name(s): Race "leucotis": "malay"/"mali" [eastern bundjalung] Size: 19-22 cm Body mass: 18-30 g

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description White-eared Honeyeaters are medium-sized nectar-eating birds. They have a distinctive dark head that is grey on top (frons and crown) and almost black from the eyes downwards to the throat and chest. Behind the eyes they have conspicuous white patches on the ear coverts. The rest of the body is olive-green, with a belly that is slightly mottled and yellowish, sometimes with a yellow stripe down the centre, and a vent that is more greyish than the rest of the body plumage. The back, including the tail, is also olive-green. The flight feathers are partly dark-grey. The irises are dark-brown. The slightly down-curved bill is dark-grey, while the legs and feet are grey. Immature and juvenile White-eared Honeyeaters have less colour contrast on their heads and duller colouring overall. The cheek patch is creamy-yellowish, rather than white.

Taxonomy, classification See White-eared 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 White-eared Honeyeater is available HERE . White-eared Honeyeaters are endemic to Australia. Of the four races of White-eared Honeyeaters nominate race "leucotis" is found only on the seaside of the Great Dividing Range, from about Brisbane, QLD, to Naracoorte, SA. Race "novaenorciae" lives on the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range, from about Charters Towers, QLD, down through NSW, also including the central NSW inland, continuing into the lower Murray Darling Basin and on to Eyre peninsula in SA. Race "novaenorciae" is also found in south-western WA, in an area delimited by a line connecting Geraldton, Kalgoorlie and the WA/SA border on the South coast, but without the south-western tip including Perth. Race "thomasi" exists only on Kangaroo Island, SA. White-eared Honeyeaters are found in various types of forest and woodland, including mallee. They were also found by us at high altitude, in alpine scrub. They do not like to venture out into open country.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "leucotis" B. Hensen reports finding White-eared Honeyeaters, race "leucotis", nesting at St. Albans, NSW, in August/September 2013. R. Plumtree reports finding a White-eared Honeyeater, race "leucotis", near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, in September 2017, and at Mt. Nunniong, East Gippsland, VIC, in December 2017. Race "novaenorciae" White-eared Honeyeaters, race "novaenorciae", never came into our rural garden 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, (2003-2006). They clearly preferred staying in the northern fringes of the Pilliga scrub (just 50 m away), rather than crossing open country. However, we spotted White-eared Honeyeaters, race "novaenorciae", regularly in the neighbouring scrub, in Jack's Creek State Forest, where they were not particularly shy. In subsequent years they were also seen by us in various other parts of the Pilliga scrub. White-eared Honeyeaters, race "novaenorciae", only rarely come to our place in open farmland with a remnant tree population at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, NSW. They are seen regularly by us in Deriah Aboriginal Areaand also various parts of Mt. Kaputar NP, some 30-40 km East of Narrabri, including at high altitudes of up to 1500 m, where they have been seen hunting insects in shrubs and taking nectar from eucalypts. They are also seen regularly in Bullawa Creek SCA, 15 km East of Narrabri in June 2008, where they came to check out the human intruders into their territory before taking off into the dense growth of young Cypress pines. White-eared Honeyeaters, race "novaenorciae", were also spotted by us at Porcupine Reserve, Gunnedah, NSW. A. Ross-Taylor reports spotting White-eared Honeyeaters, race "novaenorciae", at Stanthorpe, QLD, in March 2015. M. Eaton found White-eared Honeyeaters, race "novaenorciae", at Stanthorpe, QLD, in February 2021. In May 2018 we found White-eared Honeyeaters, race "novaenorciae", in good numbers between Pilliga and Burren Junction, NSW, near the western edge of their range.

Photos

Race "leucotis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a White-eared Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Mt. Nunniong, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2017]

Lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, September 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a White-eared Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2017]

Race "novaenorciae"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal portrait of a White-eared Honeyeater
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2019]

Frontal view of a White-eared Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanthorpe, QLD, February 2021]

Frontal view of a White-eared Honeyeater looking sideways
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, November 2013]

Near-lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 2021]

Close-up near-lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, April 2026]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a White-eared Honeyeater approaching water
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2024]

Close-up dorsal view of a White-eared Honeyeater looking sideways while approaching water
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2024]

Close-up dorsal view of a White-eared Honeyeater looking sideways
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2024]

Close-up dorsal view of a White-eared Honeyeater looking sideways
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2019]

Distant view of a stand-off between two White-eared Honeyeaters
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2011]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile White-eared Honeyeater looking sideways; note that the cap is still olive-green and the throat still grey, rather than black
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, February 2017]

Frontal/ventral view of a juvenile White-eared Honeyeater

[Pilliga NP, NSW, December 2022]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile White-eared Honeyeater looking sideways
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, December 2011]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile White-eared Honeyeater
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, February 2017]

Lateral view of a juvenile White-eared Honeyeater
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2022]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Jan

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 14-15? days

Fledging age: 15-17? days

Nest building: ?

Incubation: ?

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Grass stems, bark strips, webs, plant down or feather lining

Height above ground: 0.3 - 3 m

White-eared Honeyeater nest shortly after the chicks had fledged
[Near Binnaway, NSW, September 2015]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 21 x 15 mm

Colour: White, with sparse light-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

White-eared Honeyeater nest with two eggs (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, August 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Dispersive/sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

White-eared Honeyeaters are one of the bird species that will come close to check out intruders into their territories. However, they hardly ever came to our place, only a few kilometres from dense bushland in the foothills of the Nandewar Range.

The bird below was observed by us guarding its territory on a sparsely vegetated mountain top from various vantage points, some on plants, some on rocks.

Frontal view of a White-eared Honeyeater in sparse scrub on a mountain top at high altitude (1300 m), where the species is present permanently
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, October 2011]

Lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater guarding its rocky high-altitude territory
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, October 2011]

Close-up near-lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater with pollen stuck to the face defending its food source from a high perch in a Callistemon
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2018]

Food, Diet

Adults: Nectar, insects

Dependents: Insects

Water intake: Daily

Like many other honeyeaters, White-eared Honeyeaters do not exclusively feed on nectar, but take insects and spiders too. They are known to also take fruit.

Lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater taking nectar from a Callistemon shrub
[Narrabri Creek, Narrabri, NSW, June 2018]

Frontal view of a White-eared Honeyeater in a Callistemon shrub, with pollen all around the base of its bill
[Narrabri Creek, Narrabri, NSW, June 2018]

Lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater approaching a waterhole
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, August 2018]

Lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater drinking from a waterhole
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2019]

White-eared Honeyeater and Fuscous Honeyeater drinking from a waterhole
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2019]

Lateral view of a White-eared Honeyeater, back, drinking from a waterhole together with a Striped Honeyeater, centre, and a Singing Honeyeater, front left
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, September 2019]

White-eared Honeyeater approaching a water bowl (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Ulamambri, near Coonabarabran, NSW, February 2014]

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.

whitear_20191221.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	Contact calls	© MD
whitear_20190916.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	Contact calls	© MD
whitear_20260409_2.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	Contact calls (Q&A)	© MD
whitear_20200425.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	Various	© MD
whitear_20220424.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	Various	© MD
whitear_20170325.mp3	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	(foraging, feeding)	© MD
whitear_20180621.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	Feeding call(?)	© MD
whitear_20180621_2.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	Feeding call(?)	© MD
whitear_20220424_3.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	? (long trill)	© MD
whitear_20260409.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	?	© MD
whitear_20220424_2.m4a	novaenorciae (NW NSW)	?	© MD

More White-eared 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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