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18

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

(Lichenostomus chrysops)
Alternate name(s): "Chickup", "Quitchup", "Yellow-gaped Honeyeater"
Size: 16-18 cm; wing span 21.5-26 cm
Weight: 13-20 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Yellow-faced Honeyeater at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "chrysops"

Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a look here .

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal portrait of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Frontal view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Durikai SF, near Warwick, QLD, March 2018]

Close-up frontal/ventral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Close-up frontal/ventral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, July 2013]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2015]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater issuing its call
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, October 2012]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, October 2012]

Lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Durikai SF, near Warwick, QLD, March 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Near Eualh Creek, NSW, December 2018]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[Timmallallie NP, NSW, November 2018]

Lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater that is still partly wet after taking a bath
[Girraween NP, QLD, January 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, 2006]

Dorsal view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Durikai SF, near Warwick, QLD, March 2018]

Dorsal view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater that is still partly wet after taking a bath
[Girraween NP, QLD, January 2017]

Ventral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater, demonstrating how hard it is to tell one type of honeyeater from another when one can see only the front
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2008]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater after a first dip in a waterhole
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, December 2011]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater straight out of the bathtub
[Near Warialda, NSW, August 2015]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater just after take-off
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, May 2008]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Close-up lateral view of a sub-adult Yellow-faced Honeyeater - note the pale gape
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, May 2022]

Race "barroni"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, December 2018]

Lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, October 2007]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Jan Eggs: 2 - 3 Incubation period: 14 - 15 days Fledging age: 16 - 17 days

Nest

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

Type: Suspended basket Material: Bark fibre, grass Height above ground: 1.5 - 6 m

View from above into a Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest after it had served its purpose; note how, even after weeks of use, the nest is still spotless clean
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater chick
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater chick
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest with a naked chick inside
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest built into a fallen, dead eucalypt branch hanging in a scrawny wilga tree standing under the eucalypt
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, October 2012]

Closer look at a Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, October 2012]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater feeding one of two chicks
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, October 2012]

Here one can see that the Yellow-faced Honeyeater chicks were still very young, covered in down and eyes still closed
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, October 2012]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater keeping the nest clean
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, October 2012]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater bringing food for its chicks
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest after the birds were finished for the season
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, November 2012]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest in a low branch of a pine tree
[Near Barraba, NSW, December 2008]

Eggs

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

Size: 21 x 14 mm Colour: Creamy, with reddish to brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

Yellow-faced Honeyeater eggs inside a nest
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ? Mobility: Migratory/dispersive Elementary unit: Solitary/pair/flock

Yellow-faced Honeyeaters are one of the bird species that dive into shallow water from a perch and then fly back onto their perch to preen and dry their plumage.

Soaking wet Yellow-faced Honeyeater right out of the bathtub (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, April 2014]

This Yellow-faced Honeyeater, which was found low above the ground in introduced weeds ("Sticky beaks"; "Cobbler's pegs"), is seen calling; its calls were recorded on 16 October 2014
[Near Narrabri, NSW, October 2014]

Food, Diet

Adults: Nectar, insects Dependents: Insects Water intake: Daily

Like many other honeyeaters, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters do not exclusively feed on nectar, but take insects too.

Two Yellow-faced Honeyeaters in a Grevillea shrub (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, January 2019]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater feeding on the nectar of a Callistemon (bottlebrush) flower
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2006]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater feeding on the nectar of a Callistemon (bottlebrush) flower
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2006]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater feeding in a box gum eucalypt (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, April 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater feeding on nectar from Mistletoe flowers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mann River Nature Reserve, near Glen Innes, NSW, July 2019]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater feeding in a box gum eucalypt
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, August 2013]

Lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater at a waterhole
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Lateral view of a Yellow-faced Honeyeater using its wire brush tongue to scoop up water
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Yellow-faced Honeyeater having a drink from a waterhole (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Timmallallie NP, NSW, November 2018]

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.

yelface_20170810.m4a chrysops
(NW NSW)
Contact call(?) © MD
yelface_20220517.m4a chrysops
(NW NSW)
Contact call(?) © MD
yelface_20171022.m4a chrysops
(NW NSW)
Contact call(?) © MD
yelface_20171129.m4a chrysops
(NW NSW)
Territorial calls
(pre-dawn chorus)
© MD
yelface_20141210_3.mp3 chrysops
(NW NSW)
Q&A © MD
yelface_20141210_2.mp3 chrysops
(NW NSW)
Warning call & contact call © MD
yelface_20220601.m4a chrysops
(NW NSW)
Various © MD
yelface_20170810_2.m4a chrysops
(NW NSW)
? © MD
yelface_20181001.m4a chrysops
(N NSW)
? © MD

More Yellow-faced 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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If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.