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White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris nigra) Alternate name(s): "Moustached Honey-eater" Aboriginal name(s): "gouldii": "bandin*" Size: 16-18 cm Body mass: 16-25 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 White-cheeked Honeyeaters are small nectar-eating birds. They have long, thin white eyebrows reaching from the frons to far behind the ears and large white cheek patches on the ear coverts. Otherwise the head and throat are black. The front is white with bold black streaking, the back is dark-grey with some white streaking. The flight feathers and the outer tail feathers have bright-yellow edges. This gives the folded wings a bright yellow spot when perched. The tail is grey, with a broad white terminal band on the underside. The irises are dark-brown. The long, slightly down-curved bill is black. The legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have more brownish colours and a yellow gape. Twitcher's tip Compared with New Holland Honeyeaters, they have more white on the cheeks and darker eyes.

Taxonomy, classification See White-cheeked 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 White-cheeked Honeyeater is available HERE . White-cheeked Honeyeaters are endemic to Australia. Of the two races of White-cheeked Honeyeaters, nominate race "nigra" is found along the East coast of Australia, from about Bega, NSW, in the South to about the Whitsundays, QLD, in the North. They only rarely extend their range into the Great Dividing Range. Further North in QLD they are found only in the tablelands, up to just North-West of Townsville, QLD. They are also resident on Flinders and Cape Barren islands in the Bass Strait. Race "gouldii" is resident only in the south-western corner of WA, including Perth. In favourable conditions they can extend their range northwards along the coast to about Geraldton, WA, and northwards from the South coast to almost Kalgoorlie, WA. White-cheeked Honeyeaters can be found in coastal woodland and also heath. They have a preference for banksias. Compared to New Holland Honeyeaters they are usually found in more open vegetation.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "nigra" White-cheeked Honeyeaters, race "nigra", were first seen by us at Royal NP, near Sydney, NSW, in May 2006. Then they were spotted in November 2006 at Dorrigo NP, northern NSW. Subsequently they were found by us and reported by various contributors from many locations along the NSW and QLD coast, spanning from the area of Sydney, NSW, to about the tropic of Capricorn in QLD. R. Russell reports finding a White-cheeked Honeyeater, race "nigra", at Mount Molloy, far North QLD, which is near the northern boundary of this race's range, in February 2010. M. Eaton spotted White-cheeked Honeyeaters, race "nigra", near Yamba, NSW, in January 2021. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found White-cheeked Honeyeaters, race "nigra", at Atherton, QLD, in July 2020, and at Lake Tinaroo, QLD, in July 2022. These locations are at the northern end of the species' range. Race "gouldii" J. Greaves reports spotting White-cheeked Honeyeaters, race "gouldii", at Koondoola Reserve, Perth, WA, in July 2016. C. Pears found a White-cheeked Honeyeater, race "gouldii", in Perth, WA, in March 2022. Another was spotted at Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, in August 2025.

Photos

Race "nigra"

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of White-cheeked Honeyeaters (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, December 2017]

Lateral/near-dorsal view of a pair of White-cheeked Honeyeaters (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, December 2017]

Sex unknown

Full-frontal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater showing that the cheek tufts can be erected (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, December 2017]

Near-frontal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking towards the observer
[Sawtell, NSW, August 2015]

Near-frontal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]

Near-frontal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Fleming)
[Arakoon NP, near South West Rocks, NSW, January 2021]

Near-lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking straight at the observer
[Sawtell, NSW, August 2015]

Near-lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking towards the observer - note the pollen stuck to the base of its bill
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, January 2011]

Close-up near-lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Lake Tinaroo, QLD, July 2022]

Near-lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater
[Sawtell, NSW, August 2015]

Near-lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, February 2010]

Lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater - note the pollen stuck to the base of its bill
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, January 2011]

Lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Yamba, NSW, January 2021]

Lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, December 2017]

Close inspection of this lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater reveals that they have a split tongue
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Saltwater NP, NSW, February 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Atherton, QLD, July 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking backwards (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, December 2017]

Dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Fleming)
[Arakoon NP, near South West Rocks, NSW, January 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]

Dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, January 2011]

Race "gouldii"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater on a banksia (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Koondoola Reserve, Perth, WA, July 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Koondoola Reserve, Perth, WA, July 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Perth, WA, March 2022]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

White-cheeked Honeyeater claiming its territory from its vantage point on a banksia flower (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Koondoola Reserve, Perth, WA, July 2016]

Food, Diet

Lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater feeding on the nectar of a banksia flower (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Koondoola Reserve, Perth, WA, July 2016]

Lateral view of a White-cheeked Honeyeater feeding on the nectar of a banksia flower
[Myall Lakes NP, NSW, June 2009]

White-cheeked Honeyeater feeding head down on a banksia flower (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, December 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.

whchhon_20150327_2.mp3	nigra (NE NSW)	Contact call?	© MD
whchhon_20150327.m4a	nigra (NE NSW)	Contact calls?	© MD
whchhon_me_20240621.m4a	nigra (N QLD)	Territorial calls? (Dawn chorus)	© ME
whchhon_me_20240621_2.m4a	nigra (N QLD)	Territorial calls? (Dawn chorus)	© ME
whchhon_20150326.m4a	nigra (NE NSW)	Annoyed calls?	© MD
whchhon_20150327_5.m4a	nigra (NE NSW)	Fighting over food source (with Little Wattlebird)	© MD
whchhon_20150327_6.m4a	nigra (NE NSW)	Fighting over food source (with Little Wattlebird)	© MD
whchhon_20150327_4.m4a	nigra (NE NSW)	?	© MD
whchhon_cp_20250815.m4a	gouldii (Perth, WA)	Contact calls(?)	© CP
whchhon_cp_20250831.m4a	gouldii (Perth, WA)	Contact calls(?)	© CP

More White-cheeked 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.