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Mistletoebird

(Dicaeum hirundinaceum)
Alternative names: "Flowerpecker", "Dicaeum Swallow"
Size: 10-11 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Mistletoebirds populate most of the Australian continent and also breed everywhere, with only a few exceptions. They are only rarely found in the major deserts of the interior, i.e. the Nullarbor, Great Victoria Desert, Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert and the Simpson Desert. There are no Mistletoebirds in Tasmania and also most other offshore islands, with a few exceptions along the north coast.

Mistletoebirds can be found in all kinds of habitat, as long as there are trees with mistletoe.

Sightings

We have found Mistletoebirds in various parts of the Australian continent, primarily on the western side of the Great Dividing Range, where we have lived since 2003.

We spotted Mistletoebirds 20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, a few times up to October 2006. However, it took us 3 years to obtain good-quality shots of a male; in these (below) note the red spot on the lores, which are not mentioned in the two field guides we use and which we did not see again on other birds later. /

A pair of Mistletoebirds were residents 20 km east of Narrabri during the summer of 2006/07. Not seen for a few months during the winter; returned in late September. Similarly, after months of absence (when there were no seeds for them to feed on), Mistletoebirds appeared there again in September 2010.

Photos

Frontal view of a male Mistletoebird in a bottlebrush tree

Lateral view of the same male Mistletoebird

Lateral view of a male Mistletoebird

The same male seen from behind

Here, for comparison, a male with a much broader stripe across its breast

View of a female Mistletoebird (against sunlight)

Female Mistletoebird hiding in dense foliage of a eucalypt tree for a good night's sleep

Flowers on a mistletoe branch; they are a major attraction to many nectar-eating birds, such as e.g. Singing Honeyeaters

Frontal view of a juvenile Mistletoebird

Lateral view of a juvenile Mistletoebird

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Jan Eggs: 1 - 3 Incubation period: 14 - 16 days Fledging age: 15+ days

Nest

Type: Hanging basket Material: Soft plant threads and down Height above ground: 2 - 5 m

The nest is built and the eggs are incubated by the female. Both male and female share the feeding duties.

The nest in the photos below was located 20 km east of Narrabri, NSW. It was attached to a twig in the dense outer foliage of a tree. The chicks left it around Christmas 2007.

Female bird collecting nesting material (threads from a palm tree)

Here a view of the source of the material

Female Mistletoebird ducking into its nest

Here she is, settled in

Eggs

Size: 17 x 11 mm Colour: White Shape: Tapered oval

View into a Mistletoebird's nest, showing three little white eggs inside

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial Mobility: Sedentary Elementary unit: Pair

The propagation of mistletoe plants depends entirely on the habits of Mistletoebirds. They are the only birds with a stomach adapted to the digestion of the toxic fruit. The seeds are in fact only partially digested and then shed with a sticky outer layer and the seed still active. Mistletoebirds have the habit of rubbing the sticky extrement off their backs and leaving it attached to the perch.

The sticky mess left behind by a Mistletoebird that could not quite hold on to a metal wire

Food

The Mistletoebird is unique in that it feeds exclusively on the fruit of mistletoe. It is also the only bird (possibly with the exception of the Painted Honeyeater) that can digest these berries. The seeds inside the berries go through the birds' digestive system unharmed, which is how mistletoes are propagated.