Black Honeyeater
Encyclopedia
The Black Honeyeater is a species of bird
in the family
of honeyeaters, Meliphagidae, and the sole species in the genus
Sugomel. The Black Honeyeater exhibits sexual dimorphism
with the male being black and white while the female is a speckled grey-brown; immature birds look like the female. The species is endemic to Australia, and ranges widely across the arid
areas of the continent, through open woodland and shrubland, particularly in areas where the emu bush
and related species occur.
Black Honeyeaters feed on nectar, and have a long curved bill to reach the base of tubular flowers such as those of the emu bush. They also take insects on the wing, and regularly eat charcoal left behind at campfires. The male engages in a soaring song flight in the mating season, but contributes little to nest building and incubation. Both sexes feed and care for the young. While the population appears to be decreasing, they are sufficiently numerous and widespread to be considered of Least Concern
in terms of conservation
in 1838 as Myzomela nigra, using the Latin
adjective niger to refer to the black plumage
of the male. The genus name was derived from the Ancient Greek
words myzo 'to suckle' and meli 'honey', and referred to the bird's nectivorous
habits. In 1967 ornithologist Finn Salomonsen
transferred the species from Myzomela
to the genus
Certhionyx
, which also contained the Banded Honeyeater
(Certhionyx pectoralis) and Pied Honeyeater
(Certhionyx variegatus), and later authorities accepted this classification. However in 2004 genetic
study of nuclear
and mitochondrial
DNA
of honeyeaters resolved it as in a natural group with Myzomela after all, although it was an early offshoot and quite divergent genetically. It was subsequently reclassified in its own genus Sugomel. It is identified as Sugomel niger by most taxonomic authorities, and Sugomel nigrum by the IOC Birdlist.
DNA
analysis has shown honeyeaters to be related to the Pardalotidae (pardalotes), Acanthizidae
(Australian warblers, scrubwrens, thornbills, etc.), and the Maluridae
(Australian fairy-wrens) in a large Meliphagoidea
superfamily. The Black Myzomela
, (Myzomela nigrita), found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea is also known as the Black Honeyeater. It is a different but related species.
The species is strongly sexually dimorphic
. Adult males are black and white, with a black head, neck, wings and upperparts, and a black stripe running down from the centre of the chest to the abdomen, and with a white belly, flanks and under-tail coverts. The female’s crown, ear coverts and upper parts are buff brown, scalloped paler, with a pale eyebrow, and the chest is speckled grey-brown grading into a dull white belly. In both male and female the iris is dark brown and the bill and legs blackish brown. Immature birds are similar to the adult female, however the upper breast and throat tend to be more uniform and the base of the bill is paler. Immature birds are not separable from adults at a distance.
The Black Honeyeater is quiet outside the breeding season, but calls before and during nesting, often early in the morning. The calls include a soft metallic "chwit, chwit"; a louder note, a "tieee", with a monotonously even pitch and spacing at intervals of several seconds; and a weak "peeee", usually uttered by breeding males. In high song flights the males give a double noted "tieee-tieee". A soft scolding call is given by both sexes after the young hatch, which may be a food call for the young. The species is also heard making a bill snap when hawking insects. It is constantly on the move, hovering and hawking
when feeding, and constantly chasing intruders at food sources. Gould
described its flight as "remarkably quick, and performed with zigzag starts".
and New South Wales
to the South Australian border and occasionally recorded in the Victorian
Mallee
and Wimmera
regions. In South Australia, it occurs in the south-east and it is widespread in the central and northern regions of Western Australia
, with some rare records in the south near Kalgoorlie. In the Northern Territory
it is widespread around Alice Springs, with some vagrants
to the Top End
.
It is dependent on the presence of the emu bush Eremophila longifolia
and related species. As a result, the Black Honeyeater is found in open woodlands and shrublands of arid
and semi-arid regions, as well as in mulga or mallee woodlands, and it will also be found in spinifex
savanna
where flowering shrubs such as grevillea
s and paperbarks occur. It has been noted that the Black Honeyeater is able to locate emu bushes, even when clumps consisted of only two or three trees and were separated by many miles of country, which suggests the importance of this plant-bird association.
The Black Honeyeaters is considered to be migratory
rather than nomadic, with regular seasonal movements related to flowering of food plants, especially the emu bush. Some movements are southwards in spring and summer, moving northwards again in autumn and winter. During severe droughts it has been recorded south of Bendigo and in the Hunter Valley
. Irruptions (sudden population increases) can occur in some areas after rain or the movement of floodwaters.
or in shrubs, especially emu bushes Eremophila
. Observations over a twelve month period in South Australia
recorded Black Honeyeaters visiting the flowers of Eremophila longifolia
, Eremophila oppositifolia
, Eucalyptus incrassata, and Grevillea ilicifolia
. They were also frequently observed hawking
for small insects. The Black Honeyeater hovers briefly around flowers when feeding. Normally found alone, in pairs or in small flocks, they may sometimes form large mixed flocks at food sources, associating with other birds such as Pied Honeyeater
s and White-browed Woodswallow
s. Like many other honeyeaters, the Black Honeyeater catches insects on the wing. The male, in particular, will rise to a height of 15 metres (49.2 ft) to seize an insect in mid-air, and then drop to a regularly used perch.
A study of Black Honeyeaters at seven sites in Western Australia
regularly recorded breeding females eating ash from the campsite fires and often making repeated visits over a brief period of time. It was noted that the birds seemed attracted to the remote campfire with groups of around six hovering around and landing beside the fire, an activity described as similar to "bees buzzing around a honeypot." After pecking at the ash, some of the females foraged for insects, sallying
from the foliage of nearby Wheatbelt Wandoo (Eucalyptus capillosa) before returning for more ash. The activity of the females approaching the fire ranged from a single peck to sustained feeding for a minute or more. Male birds occasionally landed near the fire, but none were seen to take ash. Well developed brood patch
es on the birds mist net
ted near the fires, suggest that the females take ash around the time of laying, and throughout the incubation
and feeding period. Wood ash is rich in calcium
and it was hypothesised that the females were eating ash to form medullary bone
before egg-laying or to repair a calcium deficit after laying. When other small birds, such as American hummingbird
s, were recorded eating calcium-rich ash, bones or shell it was suggested that the bones of small species may not be able to store enough calcium for egg production.
Breeding pairs of Black Honeyeaters will nest in groups or loose colonies, with males aggressively defending a small breeding territory against members of their own species as well as other honeyeaters. Both members of the pair seem to be involved in selecting the nest site. The nest is usually situated low on a dead limb or in a fork of a small tree or shrub, though sometimes fallen timber including a fallen Callitris
pine is chosen as the nest site. The female gathers nesting material close to the nest site, while the male is engaged in song flights, and she builds the shallow, open, cup-shaped nest from fine twigs, grass, and other plant material bound with spiderweb, lining it with grass, roots, fibre, horse hair, flowers or wool. As the young grow the nest can become flattened to a saucer shape, and may be an almost flat platform by the time the chicks fledge.
The female lays two to three eggs that are 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) long, 12 millimetre (0.47244094488189 in) wide and an unusual swollen oval shape. The eggs are slightly lustrous, buffy white in colour and dotted with reddish-brown and grey blotches that often appear in a cloud over the larger end of the eggs. Black Honeyeater nests are occasionally parasitised by Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo. The female incubates
alone, leaving the eggs exposed for short periods during the day to take insects on the wing. When approached, the sitting bird attempts to hide by sinking into the nest and, if unsuccessful in deterring the intruder, will tumble to the ground with outstretched wings, giving weak calls in an effort to lure the intruder away from the nest.
While the female is incubating, the male remains on guard at one of several regular vantage points. The incubation
period is around sixteen days, and the fledging
period approximately eighteen days. On hatching, the young birds' eyes are closed, and they are naked except for tufts of down
on the head, nape and back. Both sexes feed and care for the young, taking all of the insects for the young birds on the wing. At one nest, two small young were fed every ten minutes or so, with the male bringing food three to four times more often than the female.
and weed control
by farmers. Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be particularly rapid; the current population seems to be of sufficient numbers, and the species has a sufficiently large range, for the species to be evaluated as of Least Concern
.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of honeyeaters, Meliphagidae, and the sole species in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Sugomel. The Black Honeyeater exhibits sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
with the male being black and white while the female is a speckled grey-brown; immature birds look like the female. The species is endemic to Australia, and ranges widely across the arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
areas of the continent, through open woodland and shrubland, particularly in areas where the emu bush
Eremophila (plant)
Eremophila is a genus of plants of the family Scrophulariaceae, with species known by the common names of Emu Bush, Poverty Bush or Fuchsia Bush. Currently, there are 215 recognised species, all of which are endemic to Australia...
and related species occur.
Black Honeyeaters feed on nectar, and have a long curved bill to reach the base of tubular flowers such as those of the emu bush. They also take insects on the wing, and regularly eat charcoal left behind at campfires. The male engages in a soaring song flight in the mating season, but contributes little to nest building and incubation. Both sexes feed and care for the young. While the population appears to be decreasing, they are sufficiently numerous and widespread to be considered of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
in terms of conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
Taxonomy
The Black Honeyeater was first described by John GouldJohn Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
in 1838 as Myzomela nigra, using the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
adjective niger to refer to the black plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of the male. The genus name was derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
words myzo 'to suckle' and meli 'honey', and referred to the bird's nectivorous
Nectarivore
In zoology, nectarivore is an animal which eats the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Most nectarivores are insects or birds, but there are also nectarivorous mammals, notably several species of bats in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as the Australian Honey Possum...
habits. In 1967 ornithologist Finn Salomonsen
Finn Salomonsen
Finn Salomonsen was a Danish ornithologist. He is best known for his work on the birds of Greenland.His interest in Greenland began at the age of 16 when he made a trip with Lehn Schioler to the Upernavik District. He obtained a degree in zoology in 1932 and joined as a zoological assistant in the...
transferred the species from Myzomela
Myzomela
Myzomela is a genus of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It is the largest genus of honeyeaters, with 31 species, and the most geographically widespread...
to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Certhionyx
Certhionyx
Certhionyx is a genus of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It contains the following species, all of which are endemic to Australia :* Black Honeyeater * Banded Honeyeater...
, which also contained the Banded Honeyeater
Banded Honeyeater
The Banded Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
(Certhionyx pectoralis) and Pied Honeyeater
Pied Honeyeater
The Pied Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
(Certhionyx variegatus), and later authorities accepted this classification. However in 2004 genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
study of nuclear
Nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA, nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid , is DNA contained within a nucleus of eukaryotic organisms. In mammals and vertebrates, nuclear DNA encodes more of the genome than the mitochondrial DNA and is composed of information inherited from two parents, one male, and one female, rather than...
and mitochondrial
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
of honeyeaters resolved it as in a natural group with Myzomela after all, although it was an early offshoot and quite divergent genetically. It was subsequently reclassified in its own genus Sugomel. It is identified as Sugomel niger by most taxonomic authorities, and Sugomel nigrum by the IOC Birdlist.
DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
analysis has shown honeyeaters to be related to the Pardalotidae (pardalotes), Acanthizidae
Acanthizidae
The Acanthizidae, also known as the Australasian warblers, are a family of passerine birds which include gerygones, thornbills, and scrubwrens. The Acanthizidae consists of small to medium passerine birds, with a total length varying between 8 and 19 cm. They have short rounded wings, slender...
(Australian warblers, scrubwrens, thornbills, etc.), and the Maluridae
Maluridae
The Maluridae are a family of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Commonly known as wrens, they are unrelated to the true wrens of the Northern Hemisphere...
(Australian fairy-wrens) in a large Meliphagoidea
Meliphagoidea
Meliphagoidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. They contain a vast diversity of small to mid-sized songbirds widespread in the Austropacific region. The Australian Continent has the largest richness in genera and species.-Systematics:...
superfamily. The Black Myzomela
Black Myzomela
The Black Myzomela is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, (Myzomela nigrita), found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea is also known as the Black Honeyeater. It is a different but related species.
Description
The Black Honeyeater is a small honeyeater with a long slender down-curved bill, a small rounded head and slender neck set on a plump body, and a short, slightly cleft tail. It has relatively long, pointed wings compared with other Meliphagidae, and very long wings for such a small bird, the development of which has been attributed to its feeding behaviour of flying between shrubs and hovering over flowers.The species is strongly sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
. Adult males are black and white, with a black head, neck, wings and upperparts, and a black stripe running down from the centre of the chest to the abdomen, and with a white belly, flanks and under-tail coverts. The female’s crown, ear coverts and upper parts are buff brown, scalloped paler, with a pale eyebrow, and the chest is speckled grey-brown grading into a dull white belly. In both male and female the iris is dark brown and the bill and legs blackish brown. Immature birds are similar to the adult female, however the upper breast and throat tend to be more uniform and the base of the bill is paler. Immature birds are not separable from adults at a distance.
The Black Honeyeater is quiet outside the breeding season, but calls before and during nesting, often early in the morning. The calls include a soft metallic "chwit, chwit"; a louder note, a "tieee", with a monotonously even pitch and spacing at intervals of several seconds; and a weak "peeee", usually uttered by breeding males. In high song flights the males give a double noted "tieee-tieee". A soft scolding call is given by both sexes after the young hatch, which may be a food call for the young. The species is also heard making a bill snap when hawking insects. It is constantly on the move, hovering and hawking
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
when feeding, and constantly chasing intruders at food sources. Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
described its flight as "remarkably quick, and performed with zigzag starts".
Distribution and habitat
The Black Honeyeater is a bird of the dry inland of Australia, being generally widespread if scattered in western QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to the South Australian border and occasionally recorded in the Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
Mallee
The Mallee
The Mallee is the most northwesterly district in the state of Victoria, and also encompasses the agricultural district of South Australia. Definitions vary, however all are based on the Victorian distribution of mallee eucalypts...
and Wimmera
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
regions. In South Australia, it occurs in the south-east and it is widespread in the central and northern regions of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, with some rare records in the south near Kalgoorlie. In the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
it is widespread around Alice Springs, with some vagrants
Vagrancy (biology)
Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. The term accidental is sometimes also used...
to the Top End
Top End
The Top End of northern Australia is the second northernmost point on the continent. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the...
.
It is dependent on the presence of the emu bush Eremophila longifolia
Eremophila longifolia
Eremophila longifolia , also known as Berrigan , is a shrub or tree which is native to Australia.-Description:It grows to between one and six metres in height and has yellow, orange, red or pink flowers between early autumn and early summer . These are followed by rounded fleshy fruits which are 5...
and related species. As a result, the Black Honeyeater is found in open woodlands and shrublands of arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
and semi-arid regions, as well as in mulga or mallee woodlands, and it will also be found in spinifex
Triodia (plant genus)
Triodia is a large genus of hummock-forming grass endemic to Australia; they are commonly known as spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus Spinifex. There are currently 64 recognised species...
savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
where flowering shrubs such as grevillea
Grevillea
Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae, native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 0.5 m tall to trees...
s and paperbarks occur. It has been noted that the Black Honeyeater is able to locate emu bushes, even when clumps consisted of only two or three trees and were separated by many miles of country, which suggests the importance of this plant-bird association.
The Black Honeyeaters is considered to be migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
rather than nomadic, with regular seasonal movements related to flowering of food plants, especially the emu bush. Some movements are southwards in spring and summer, moving northwards again in autumn and winter. During severe droughts it has been recorded south of Bendigo and in the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
. Irruptions (sudden population increases) can occur in some areas after rain or the movement of floodwaters.
Food and feeding
The Black Honeyeater feeds on nectar, probing flowers and foliage with its long fine bill. It is mainly found in the crowns of eucalypts, at clumps of mistletoeMistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
or in shrubs, especially emu bushes Eremophila
Eremophila (plant)
Eremophila is a genus of plants of the family Scrophulariaceae, with species known by the common names of Emu Bush, Poverty Bush or Fuchsia Bush. Currently, there are 215 recognised species, all of which are endemic to Australia...
. Observations over a twelve month period in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
recorded Black Honeyeaters visiting the flowers of Eremophila longifolia
Eremophila longifolia
Eremophila longifolia , also known as Berrigan , is a shrub or tree which is native to Australia.-Description:It grows to between one and six metres in height and has yellow, orange, red or pink flowers between early autumn and early summer . These are followed by rounded fleshy fruits which are 5...
, Eremophila oppositifolia
Eremophila oppositifolia
Eremophila oppositifolia , also known as Weeooka or Twin -leaf Emu Bush, is a shrub or small tree which is native to Australia.-Description:...
, Eucalyptus incrassata, and Grevillea ilicifolia
Grevillea ilicifolia
Grevillea ilicifolia, commonly known as Holly Grevillea, is a species of the plant genus Grevillea. It is a shrub of variable form, growing to between 0.3 and 2 metres in height and 3 metres wide. Typically, leaves are lobed and holly like, but may also be unlobed. The flowers have perianths that...
. They were also frequently observed hawking
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
for small insects. The Black Honeyeater hovers briefly around flowers when feeding. Normally found alone, in pairs or in small flocks, they may sometimes form large mixed flocks at food sources, associating with other birds such as Pied Honeyeater
Pied Honeyeater
The Pied Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
s and White-browed Woodswallow
White-browed Woodswallow
The White-browed Woodswallow is a moderately-sized passerine bird native to inland Australia. Like all woodswallows, it has a brush-tipped tongue but feeds almost exclusively on flying insects....
s. Like many other honeyeaters, the Black Honeyeater catches insects on the wing. The male, in particular, will rise to a height of 15 metres (49.2 ft) to seize an insect in mid-air, and then drop to a regularly used perch.
A study of Black Honeyeaters at seven sites in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
regularly recorded breeding females eating ash from the campsite fires and often making repeated visits over a brief period of time. It was noted that the birds seemed attracted to the remote campfire with groups of around six hovering around and landing beside the fire, an activity described as similar to "bees buzzing around a honeypot." After pecking at the ash, some of the females foraged for insects, sallying
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
from the foliage of nearby Wheatbelt Wandoo (Eucalyptus capillosa) before returning for more ash. The activity of the females approaching the fire ranged from a single peck to sustained feeding for a minute or more. Male birds occasionally landed near the fire, but none were seen to take ash. Well developed brood patch
Brood patch
thumb|250px|Brood patch of [[Sand Martin]]A brood patch is a patch of featherless skin that is visible on the underside of birds during the nesting season. This patch of skin is well supplied with blood vessels at the surface making it possible for the birds to transfer heat to their eggs when...
es on the birds mist net
Mist net
Mist nets are used by ornithologists and bat biologists to capture wild birds and bats for banding or other research projects. Mist nets are typically made of nylon mesh suspended between two poles, resembling an oversized volleyball net. When properly deployed, the nets are virtually invisible...
ted near the fires, suggest that the females take ash around the time of laying, and throughout the incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
and feeding period. Wood ash is rich in calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
and it was hypothesised that the females were eating ash to form medullary bone
Medullary cavity
The medullary cavity is the central cavity of bone shafts where red bone marrow and/or yellow bone marrow is stored; hence, the medullary cavity is also known as the marrow cavity...
before egg-laying or to repair a calcium deficit after laying. When other small birds, such as American hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s, were recorded eating calcium-rich ash, bones or shell it was suggested that the bones of small species may not be able to store enough calcium for egg production.
Breeding
The breeding season is from July to December (mostly between August and November), or opportunistically after rain. There is apparently some variation based upon location, with birds in West Australia breeding earlier and breeding in March in Queensland. Black Honeyeater populations concentrate for breeding wherever the right plants are in flower and there is an abundance of insects, essential for feeding the young. At the beginning of the mating season, males can be seen soaring in “song flights” which consist of a series of zigzagging movements, high into the air, accompanied by constant calling. The birds appear to stiffen themselves, with wings pointed downward, as they rise, while uttering a two-note call.Breeding pairs of Black Honeyeaters will nest in groups or loose colonies, with males aggressively defending a small breeding territory against members of their own species as well as other honeyeaters. Both members of the pair seem to be involved in selecting the nest site. The nest is usually situated low on a dead limb or in a fork of a small tree or shrub, though sometimes fallen timber including a fallen Callitris
Callitris
Callitris is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . There are 15 species in the genus, of which 13 are native to Australia and the other two native to New Caledonia. Traditionally the most widely used common name is cypress-pine, a name shared by the closely related genus Actinostrobus...
pine is chosen as the nest site. The female gathers nesting material close to the nest site, while the male is engaged in song flights, and she builds the shallow, open, cup-shaped nest from fine twigs, grass, and other plant material bound with spiderweb, lining it with grass, roots, fibre, horse hair, flowers or wool. As the young grow the nest can become flattened to a saucer shape, and may be an almost flat platform by the time the chicks fledge.
The female lays two to three eggs that are 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) long, 12 millimetre (0.47244094488189 in) wide and an unusual swollen oval shape. The eggs are slightly lustrous, buffy white in colour and dotted with reddish-brown and grey blotches that often appear in a cloud over the larger end of the eggs. Black Honeyeater nests are occasionally parasitised by Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo. The female incubates
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
alone, leaving the eggs exposed for short periods during the day to take insects on the wing. When approached, the sitting bird attempts to hide by sinking into the nest and, if unsuccessful in deterring the intruder, will tumble to the ground with outstretched wings, giving weak calls in an effort to lure the intruder away from the nest.
While the female is incubating, the male remains on guard at one of several regular vantage points. The incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
period is around sixteen days, and the fledging
Fledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
period approximately eighteen days. On hatching, the young birds' eyes are closed, and they are naked except for tufts of down
Down feather
The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding,...
on the head, nape and back. Both sexes feed and care for the young, taking all of the insects for the young birds on the wing. At one nest, two small young were fed every ten minutes or so, with the male bringing food three to four times more often than the female.
Conservation status
The Black Honeyeater may be adversely affected by the loss of the emu bush to grazingGrazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
and weed control
Weed control
Weed control is the botanical component of pest control, using physical and chemical methods to stop weeds from reaching a mature stage of growth when they could be harmful to domesticated plants and livestock...
by farmers. Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be particularly rapid; the current population seems to be of sufficient numbers, and the species has a sufficiently large range, for the species to be evaluated as of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
.
External links
- Certhionyx niger (Black Honeyeater) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Downloaded on 6 September 2011.