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White-plumed HoneyeaterAlternative names: "Greenie", "Linner", "Chickoowee", "Ringeye", "Ringneck", "Australian Canary" |
Sightings
White-plumed Honeyeaters were visible and audible around the place where we lived in 2003-2006, 20 km south of Narrabri, New South Wales, basically every day, except the coldest season. They were one of the most common birds there, came in whole families and sometimes made quite a racket.
In contrast, the rural property where we lived from 2007 on, 20 km east of Narrabri and farther away from a large area of contiguous bushland, they were hardly ever seen. They came to visit the flowers of eucalypt trees and our water bowls only infrequently, and never in numbers of more than two at a time.
At the two places where we lived, there is a distinct anti-coincidence of White-plumed Honeyeaters and Singing Honeyeaters.
Also seen by us on a trip to South Australia, specifically at Hawker, SA, in March 2008.
Photos
White-plumed Honeyeater feeding in a Bottlebrush tree (click on image for larger version)
Lateral view of an adult White-plumed Honeyeater (click on image for larger version)
Frontal view of an adult White-plumed Honeyeater (click on image for larger version)
Near-lateral view of an adult White-plumed Honeyeater (click on image for larger version)
Immature bird feeding head-down in a bottlebrush (click on image for larger version)
Lateral view of an immature White-plumed Honeyeater (click on image for larger version)
More frontal view of an immature White-plumed Honeyeater (click on image for larger version)
Here an immature White-plumed Honeyeater begging for food (click on image for larger version)
Nest
Here a view of a White-plumed Honeyeater chick in its nest in a White Cedar tree.
White-plumed Honeyeater chick in its nest in a White Cedar tree (click on image for larger version)
Habits
White-plumed Honeyeaters are one of the species that like a good splash every day; however, they do not only use shallow bowls or puddles for taking their bath - instead they fly from perches onto the surface of standing water fluttering their wings, just touching the surfaces and getting half-emersed before taking off back to the perch again (see photo below).
Action shot of a White-plumed Honeyeater flying in for a bath
Another unexpected experience was seeing White-plumed Honeyeaters foraging for insects in tree bark in wintertime.