|
Key plants used by Australian birds:
|
Aboriginal names: "baan" [gamilaraay, yuwaalaraay, yuwaalayaay], "almurta", "bambil", "binyara", "coolbunna"
Mistletoes are two genera of parasitic plants that host on a variety of other Australian plants. They are propagated by the Mistletoebird. Although propagated by only one bird species, mistletoes play an important part in the lives of many other bird species as a valuable source of nectar and, for some, also nesting space.
 |
Bird species found in this type of habitat or plant |
This is not necessarily a complete list. We display here some examples of bird species found by us in this kind of habitat or plant. Hover your cursor on thumbnails to see names of species; click on thumbnail to go to the page describing the species.
|
 |
Photos |
This eucalypt
tree was obviously the favourite of the local Mistletoebirds
Mistletoe hosting on a wattle
Clump of Mistletoe with budding flowers
Close-up view of the flowers of a Mistletoe hosting on a
eucalypt tree
Flowering Mistletoe hosting on a
casuarina
Close-up view of a flowers of Mistletoe hosting on a
casuarina
Example of a species having a preference for Mistletoe in
Casuarinas:
Painted Honeyeater
[Near Narrabri, NSW, February 2008]
Close-up frontal view of a male Mistletoebird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]
Frontal view of a female
Mistletoebird
collecting nesting material
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]
Dusky Woodswallow nest on top of the base of a clump of
Mistletoe
(photo courtesy of
V. Collins)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2021]
Usage |
This is not necessarily a complete list. We collate here various ways in which birds can use various types of plant.
| Perch | Roost | Shade | Food | Nectar | Fruit | Seed | Prey | Nest space |
Nest mat. |
Shelter | Vantage point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
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. |
Disclaimer:
Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee
that the information presented on these pages is always correct or
up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no
responsibility for the contents of external pages.
All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission
of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the
material presented on this website, please contact us:
We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is
described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people
of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional
owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge
elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.
Last updated:
Tue, 17 February 2026, 9:52 +00:00