White-plumed Honeyeater

The White-plumed Honeyeater is a small, plainly colored honeyeater, mostly olive-yellow above and paler grey-yellow below, with a thin black line through the eye. Its most distinctive feature is a narrow, curved white plume of feathers on the side of the neck, bordered above and below by black, which stands out clearly against the otherwise subdued plumage.

One of the most familiar honeyeaters of inland Australia, it is closely tied to eucalypts, especially river red gums along watercourses, where its persistent, cheerful calls are a constant backdrop.

Key field marks

• Olive-yellow upperparts and paler yellowish-grey underparts
• Narrow, crescent-shaped white plume on the neck, edged in black
• Fine black line through the eye
• Slim build and active foraging behavior high in eucalypt canopy

Similar species

• Yellow-plumed Honeyeater and Grey-fronted Honeyeater are similar but occur in drier mallee habitats and show subtle differences in the neck plume and head pattern.
• Fuscous Honeyeater lacks the obvious white neck plume, showing only a faint mark.

Habitat

Strongly associated with eucalypt woodland along rivers and creeks, especially river red gum forests, as well as other open eucalypt woodland.

Range

Widespread across inland and eastern Australia, from southern Queensland through New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and into parts of Western Australia.

Migration

Mostly sedentary but locally nomadic, with movements linked to eucalypt flowering and the availability of lerp and honeydew.

Behavior

Active and often gregarious, foraging in loose flocks through the eucalypt canopy and calling frequently; can be aggressive toward other honeyeaters at good feeding sites.

Voice

A persistent, cheerful, bell-like "chick-owee" or "tea-cup" call repeated often, among the most recognizable sounds of eucalypt woodland.

Feeding

Feeds on nectar, insects gleaned from foliage and bark, and sugary lerp secretions produced by sap-sucking insects on eucalypt leaves.

Nesting

Builds a small, deep cup nest of bark and grass, often suspended in outer eucalypt foliage; lays 2-3 pinkish eggs with fine reddish spotting.