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Little FriarbirdAlternative names: "Little Leatherhead", "Yellow-throated Friarbird" Size: 25-30 cm |
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Habitat |
(for details refer to a field guide) |
There are two races of Little Friarbirds. Nominate race "citreogularis" is found east of a line going straight south from the tip of Cape York, except southern VIC. Along the NSW coastline they are only found in the far north and the Hunter valley. West of the tip of Cape York, across the entire top end of the NT and the Kimberleys in WA, race "sordidus" is found. In western QLD their range goes as far south as about Mt. Isa.
Little Friarbirds can usually be found in open forest and woodland, where there are flowering trees. They take nectar from various types of flowers, but they particularly like the flowers of banksias and grevilleas. Little Friarbirds adapt well to the presence of humans and will enter urban parks and gardens.
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Sightings |
Little Friarbirds were less common and less conspicuous than Noisy Friarbirds at our place south of Narrabri, NSW, in the years 2003-2006. When Noisy Friarbirds are around, their small cousins have a hard time feeding, because they will be chased away. But then they, on the other hand, hustle other, smaller Honeyeaters... Seen by us up until March of each year, then again in September.
Also 20 km east of Narrabri Little Friarbirds are observed more regularly in spring/summer than in autumn/winter.
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Photos |
Frontal view of a Little Friarbird
Lateral view of a Little Friarbird
Just checking whether it's safe to come out...
Lateral view of a bird...
... here seen preening
Little Friarbird sitting next to an
Olive-backed Oriole,
both waiting their turn for a drink of water under the tree
Little Friarbird securing the left side...
...then the right...
...before having a drink
Juvenile Little Friarbird in a grevillea tree
Here a close-up view of the spiny yellow throat plumage of a
juvenile Little Friarbird waiting for mom and dad to deliver food
Another juvenile Little Friarbird waiting to be fed, seen from
behind
Fledgling Little Friarbird waiting to be fed...
... not far away from its two siblings
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Breeding information |
| Breeding season: Jul - Feb | Eggs: 2 - 3 | Incubation period: 16 days | Fledging age: 17 - 19 days |
Given the right conditions, Little Friarbirds can breed almost any time of the year (except April/May).
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Nest |
| Type: (Hanging) basket | Material: Twigs, grass | Height above ground: 3 - 20 m |
Little Friarbirds were seen by us nesting quite late in the 2010/11 breeding season, when building their nest in December and starting to sit on their eggs in the second half of December. But they had their first clutch out in no time and were busy feeding chicks again already by mid-February. The second nest was built in the same tree (Acacia salicina) as the first of the season, but hanging from a different branch.
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Additional information |
To see a sequence of photos showing the activities of an adult bird at its nest, click here.
Little Friarbird entering its nest
Little Friarbird sitting on the nest
Here it is peeking out of its nest to see what is going on
underneath
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Eggs |
| Size: 27 x 20 mm | Colour: Creamy, with brown speckles | Shape: Tapered oval |
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Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Dispersive | Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
Little Friarbirds protect their nest and its surroundings with determination, also against much more powerful birds, such as e.g. Australian Magpies.
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Food |
Like many other honeyeaters, Little Friarbirds do not exclusively feed on nectar, but use their sticky tongue to take insects too. In the case of Little Friarbirds we know that they feed their chicks with insects only. For more information, click here.
Here a Little Friarbird displaying behaviour typical of a
flycatcher, hunting off a low perch
This bird has caught a fair-sized meal
Little Friarbirds can sometimes be seen hunting insects
on the ground
