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Striped Honeyeater

(Plectorhyncha lanceolata)
Alternative name: "Lanceolated Honeyeater"
Size: 22-25 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Striped Honeyeaters inhabit most of the eastern quarter of the Australian continent. They are found in the far south-eastern corner of SA, all through the Murray-Darling Basin and most of NSW (except the far north-western and south-eastern corners) and most of south and central QLD, up to about Undara Volcanic National Park, except the most arid part of the interior and the coast north of the tropic of Capricorn. Their range does not include either Cape York peninsula in the north or anywhere else in the tropical north or the west of the continent. Not found in Tasmania either.

Striped Honeyeaters are usually found in open forest, woodland and mallee. 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. They like nesting at the lower end of big mistletoes or drooping branches of trees, such as e.g. Acacia salicina or Weeping Myall.

Sightings

Striped Honeyeaters are less common where we lived until 2006, south of Narrabri, than for example Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters. However, we spotted Striped Honeyeaters regularly at our former neighbour's place in 2004 and 2005. After the notable scarcity in those years, Striped Honeyeaters were a lot more widespread in 2006.

Striped Honeyeaters were regular visitors 20 km east of Narrabri during the spring and summer of 2007 and 2008. Seen there occasionally, but regularly, in the years since.

Seen by us regularly in the western foothills of the Nandewar Range, 30 km east of Narrabri, in the years 2007-2009.

Photos

Frontal view of a Striped Honeyeater

View from beneath of a Striped Honeyeater ; note that its feathers are not wet from a bath, but spiny, similar to those of Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters. They are displayed to impress females (see photo below)

Lateral view of a bird foraging in a eucalypt tree

Different posture

View of the beautiful stripe pattern from behind

Striped Honeyeater drinking from a water bowl

Lateral view of a Striped Honeyeater

Profile view of a Striped Honeyeater

Male Striped Honeyeater posing and singing a ballad for his lady...

Closer view of a bird issuing its call

Striped Honeyeater feeding one of three fledgling chicks waiting silently in an acacia tree

The same chick (the strongest of the three), having climbed to a higher branch than its siblings, getting the feed again

Close-up view of the same little Striped Honeyeater

This photo of a fledgling Striped Honeyeater (this one still had trouble flying and finding its balance on the perch) shows clearly the brown tints of the wing plumage that will completely disappear when the bird molts into its adult plumage

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Jan Eggs: 3 - 4 Incubation period: 14 days Fledging age: ca. 15 - 17 days

Nest

Type: Hanging basket Material: Grass, webs Height above ground: 2 - 5

In the spring of 2007 a pair of Striped Honeyeaters started building a nest in our garden, 20 km east of Narrabri. However, the nest was later abandoned, because the birds could not establish themselves in the habitat due to the presence of various other, stronger species, such as Noisy Friarbirds, Little Friarbirds and, most prominently, Singing Honeyeaters. They finally succeeded in 2010, see below.

Close-up view of a Striped Honeyeater's nest; note how the whole construction hinges on the threads tied above the little fork at the top

Striped Honeyeater sitting on its nest; note how low the bird is in the nest - a sign that it is still sitting on eggs; once the chicks hatch, it will be sitting higher while keeping them warm

Striped Honeyeaters are vigilant while incubating...

... they will always keep an eye on the observer

Striped Honeyeater bringing new material for its nest

This nest is at the end of a stringy branch of an Acacia salicina

From the eggs shown below three chicks hatched, seen here begging for food

Nest in a flowering mistletoe

Here one of the adults bringing home food for the chicks

Eggs

Size: 24 x 17 mm Colour: Creamy, sparsely speckled with light-brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

View from above into a Striped Honeyeater's nest with three eggs in it

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial Mobility: Dispersive Elementary unit: Pair

Food

Like many other honeyeaters, Striped Honeyeaters do not exclusively feed on nectar, but use their sticky tongue to take insects too. Also known to feed on fruit and seeds.

Striped Honeyeater acrobatics while feeding in a bottlebrush tree

This bird has picked a psyllid insect with lerp (the insect's crystallized secretion) from the underside of a eucalypt leaf

Failing to find lerps, this bird is picking off psyllids

Additional information

There is a separate page with a short description of psyllids and lerps.