18

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (Ptilotula flavescens) Alternate name(s): "Pale-yellow Honeyeater", "Yellowish Honeyeater" Size: 14-16 cm Body mass: 11.5-17 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 Graceful Honeyeater Lewin's Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater Bridled Honeyeater Eungella Honeyeater Singing Honeyeater Mangrove Honeyeater Varied Honeyeater White-lined Honeyeater Kimberley Honeyeater White-gaped Honeyeater Yellow Honeyeater White-eared 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 Green-backed Honeyeater Brown Honeyeater Bar-breasted Honeyeater Brown-backed Honeyeater Rufous-throated Honeyeater Grey Honeyeater Tawny-crowned Honeyeater Rufous-banded Honeyeater White-streaked 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 Garden 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 Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters are small nectar-eating birds. Their front is grey, the back is olive-grey. The flight feathers have olive-green leading edges, which make the folded wings look olive-green. The uppertail is olive-grey, the undertail is grey. The sides of the head are yellow, except for a black plume under the ear coverts. The cap is greyish-yellow. Note that there are big differences in how yellow Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters appear to be, from predominantly greyish plumage to almost all-yellow. The irises are dark. The slightly down-curved bill is black, while legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have a less conspicuous black plume (if any) and a yellowish bill, depending on age with a black tip. The colours, especially of the sides of the head, are duller than those of adults.

Taxonomy, classification See Yellow-tinted 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 Yellow-tinted Honeyeater is available HERE . Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters occur in tropical Australia and in parts of New Guinea. In Australia there are two races of Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters, which occur northward of a line connecting Derby, WA, with Townsville, QLD. Basically the entire range, except parts of Cape York peninsula, is populated by nominate race "flavescens". Race "melvillensis" occurs only on the Tiwi Islands to the North of Darwin, NT. Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters have a preference for eucalypt and acacia woodland and riparian thickets. They can also be found in and mangrove and in gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "flavescens" M. Mearns reports spotting Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters, nominate race "flavescens", along the Cape Crawford to Mataranka Road, NT, in July 2010, and at Adel's Grove, Lawn Hill QLD, in July 2016. They were also found at Camooweal Caves, QLD, in September 2019. B. Hensen reports spotting Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters, nominate race "flavescens", near Humbles Creek, Buntine Highway, NT, in July 2018. P. Brown spotted Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters, nominate race "flavescens", along the Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, and along the road to Giwining/Flora River NP, NT, in November 2018. The species was again found in the same area in September 2020. P. Brown also found a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, nominate race "flavescens", at East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, where they are uncommon, in April 2020. M. Eaton reports spotting Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters, nominate race "flavescens", at Keep River NP, NT, and Timber Creek, NT, in July 2020. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters, nominate race "flavescens", at Wondecla, QLD, in July 2020, and at Adels Grove, near Boodjamulla NP, QLD, in December 2020.

Photos

Race "flavescens"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Adels Grove, near Boodjamulla NP, QLD, December 2020]

Frontal view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater looking sideways; note the greyish colours of this individual
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, November 2018]

Frontal/ventral view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater issuing its call (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, November 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, November 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, November 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, November 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Katherine, NT, July 2020]

Close-up lateral view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, April 2020]

Lateral view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Humbles Creek, Buntine Highway, NT, July 2018]

Lateral view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, April 2020]

Lateral view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Wondecla, QLD, July 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Katherine, NT, July 2020]

Dorsal view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, April 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater hovering in flight, with its wire brush tongue sticking out
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Mathison Rest Stop, Victoria Highway, NT, September 2020]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of an immature Yellow-tinted Honeyeater - note the yellow gape (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Katherine, NT, July 2020]

Frontal view of an juvenile Yellow-tinted Honeyeater - note the almost all-yellow bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Timber Creek, NT, July 2020]

Frontal view of a juvenile Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Humbles Creek, Buntine Highway, NT, July 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, November 2018]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Mar

Eggs: 1 - 2

Incubation period: 10 - 12 days

Fledging age: ca. 14 days

Nest

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

Type: Suspended basket

Material: Grass stems, bark strips, webs

Height above ground: 2 - 4 m

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater nest under construction (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Timber Creek Airport, NT, September 2020]

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater seen building the nest shown above (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Timber Creek Airport, NT, September 2020]

Eggs

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

Size: ?

Colour: Pale reddish brown, with mid to dark-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/family clan/mob

Food, Diet

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater feeding on nectar (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Humbles Creek, Buntine Highway, NT, July 2018]

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater foraging for insects (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Camooweal Caves, QLD, September 2019]

Juvenile Yellow-tinted Honeyeater with its prey, a beetle (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Victoria River, Judburra (Gregory) NP, near Timber Creek, NT, November 2018]

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater that has found something edible (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, October 2020]

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater having a drink of water (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Camooweal Caves, QLD, September 2019]

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater approaching a roadside puddle for a drink and a bath; in the foreground a Rufous-throated Honeyeater (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Road to Giwining/Flora River NP, NT, November 2018]

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater drinking while hovering in flight (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Mathison Rest Stop, Victoria Highway, NT, September 2020]

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.

yltihon_pb_20220501.m4a

flavescens (Top End, NT)

Dawn chorus

© PB

More Yellow-tinted 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.