Yellow-faced Honeyeater

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater is a medium-small honeyeater, olive-grey above and paler grey below, distinguished by a bold facial pattern of black stripes bordering a bright yellow band that runs from the base of the bill back beneath the eye. Otherwise fairly plain, this facial stripe is the bird's most reliable and eye-catching feature.

The species is famous among birdwatchers for its spectacular autumn migration, when large flocks numbering in the thousands funnel along the east coast of Australia, particularly through coastal lookouts in New South Wales, on their way to wintering grounds further north.

Key field marks

• Olive-grey upperparts and pale grey underparts
• Bold black-and-yellow striped facial pattern running back from the bill
• Slim build and relatively plain body plumage
• Often seen in active, loosely associated flocks, especially on migration

Similar species

• White-eared Honeyeater has a solid white ear patch rather than a yellow-and-black facial stripe.
• White-naped Honeyeater shows a red eye-crescent and a white nape patch, lacking the yellow facial stripe.

Habitat

Inhabits eucalypt forests and woodlands, coastal heath, and forest edges, favoring areas with a shrubby understorey.

Range

Widespread along eastern and southeastern Australia, from Cape York in Queensland south through New South Wales and Victoria to southeastern South Australia, extending inland along the Great Dividing Range.

Migration

Strongly migratory in the southeast, with large flocks moving north along the coast in autumn and returning south in spring, forming one of Australia's most visible bird migrations; northern populations are more sedentary.

Behavior

Often forages and moves in loose flocks, especially during migration, when large numbers can be seen streaming past coastal headlands; active and agile among foliage.

Voice

A cheerful, repeated "chick-up" call and various other short, sharp notes, frequently given in flight during migration.

Feeding

Feeds on nectar from eucalypts and other flowering plants, and gleans insects from foliage and bark.

Nesting

Builds a small, neat cup nest of bark and grass bound with spider web, usually low in a shrub or small tree; lays 2 pale pinkish eggs with reddish-brown spotting.