18

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

(Acanthagenys rufogularis)
Size: 23-26 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters are very well-adapted to life in the Australian interior. Their range spans the entire interior of the continent, including the most arid parts. They do not venture into the heavily wooded areas, such as the extreme south-western tip of WA, most of VIC (except a narrow coastal strip from the border with SA to Melbourne), most of the coast of NSW (except the Hunter River valley) and QLD, Cape York and the top end of the NT and the Kimberleys in WA. They are not found in Tasmania either, but they do inhabit both Kangaroo Island, SA, and Dirk Hartog Island, WA.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters can be found in open, often dry forest, open woodland, low scrub, mallee and even in deserts. They adapt to the presence of humans quite well and will also enter urban parks and gardens. Like many other honeyeaters they like the flowers of bottlebrush trees.

Sightings

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters are the dominant species of honeyeater at our place 20 km east of Narrabri, NSW.

As field guides explain, if you can't see them you may well hear them. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters have a number of funny calls that cannot be mistaken. They visited us quite often south of Narrabri, mostly when our bottlebrush tree was blossoming. They like the flowers of various types of grevillea and eucalypts as well.

Seen by us in various parts of the Great Dividing Range and to the west of it.

Photos

Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a look here.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater in a Casuarina tree, where it was feeding on nectar from its flowers in September 2006; note the blue eyering

Relaxing in a eucalypt tree

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater feeding in a Grevillea bush

Here one hovering in front of a leaking garden sprinkler

Here one can see a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater issuing its characteristic call

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater with its tongue sticking out - no offense intended; the moment this photo was taken, the bird was in fact calling

This bird is using the time it is taking to assess whether it is safe to approach its nest for a good preen

Breeding pair inspecting the intruder yellowish spot

Here a complete lateral view of an immature bird

Fledgling Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (click on image to see the bird with its head turned)

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Feb Eggs: 2 - 4 Incubation period: 14 days Fledging age: ca. 15 - 17 days

Given the right conditions, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters can breed any time of the year.

Nest

Type: Hanging basket Material: Grass, webs, fibre Height above ground: 2 - 10

The nest shown below in a bottlebrush tree was only built once the tree's flowers had wilted and therefore other honeyeaters' interest in it had waned. At the time the birds nested, the tree was in its growth phase and thereby particularly dense.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater nest in a bottlebrush tree

The same nest as above, now with its occupant in the typical honeyeater posture inside the nest - head and tail high up

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater collecting nesting material

Eggs

Size: 24 x 18 mm Colour: Creamy, sparsely speckled with brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

View from above into the neatly lined nest of a pair of Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters, with two eggs inside

A few weeks later it became clear that the birds were having no success with their attempt; one egg was left in the nest, at an incorrect angle, the other egg had vanished

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial Mobility: Sedentary Elementary unit: Pair/family clan

Although usually territorial, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters can gather in relatively large groups of up to about 20. They gather in areas where there are bushes or trees blossoming.

Seen calling in display flights, as described in field guides, mostly very early in the morning.

Food

Like many other honeyeaters, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters do not exclusively feed on nectar, but use their sticky tongue to take insects too. They enjoy a very varied diet, as shown in the photos below.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater feasting on the nectar of ironbark eucalypt flowers

This bird is using its tongue to lick the liquid secretions of psyllids from the underside of eucalypt leaves

Although here the tongue cannot be seen, one can discern what the bird is after - the sugary liquid that, when crystallized, is called a "lerp"; the insects producing these secretions, psyllids, are visible in the upper left-hand corner of the photo

Only when the supply of dew is exhausted, the bird turns to feeding on psyllids directly

Next thing, the bird caught itself a decent-sized insect in flight...

... which had to be turned before it could be swallowed