Regent Honeyeater

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Scientific Name: Anthochaera phrygia

Size: up to 23 cm

What does it look and sound like?

Appearance and Key Features

The Regent Honeyeater is a large honeyeater, measuring around 23 cm in length. It has a black head, neck, and upper breast. The back and wings are also black but are covered in broad, whitish-yellow and yellow feather edgings that create a distinctly scaled appearance. The wings and tail feature broad, bright yellow patches. Its underparts are black on the upper breast, transitioning to a white belly with small, white chevron markings. Around its eyes is a patch of faint yellowish, warty skin, which is larger on males than on the slightly smaller females.

Juvenile Regent Honeyeater individuals look quite different from the adults. They are mostly brown where adults are black and have an off-white belly. Their wings are finely edged with white and have only small yellow patches.

Similar Species

The Regent Honeyeater can be distinguished from the New Holland Honeyeater, which has white patches on its head and streaked, not scaled, underparts. It can also be told apart from the Painted Honeyeater, which has a pink bill and plain white underparts.

Where is it found?

The Regent Honeyeater is found in south-eastern Australia, with a range that includes New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. It is a migratory bird, moving in response to the flowering of eucalypts and mistletoe. Seeing one is extremely difficult, as it is listed as critically endangered in both Victoria and across Australia, largely due to significant habitat loss.

What are its habitats & habits?

Habitats

The preferred habitats for the Regent Honeyeater are dry open forests and, particularly, box-ironbark woodlands. Its presence is closely tied to the blossoming of key tree species within these environments.

Habits and Diet

The Regent Honeyeater can be seen individually, in pairs, or in small groups. It is both nectivorous and insectivorous, feeding on nectar from flowering trees as well as insects. The breeding season occurs between September and December.