Dusky Myzomela obscura Dusky Honeyeater

Dusky Myzomela Myzomela obscura
(aka Dusky Honeyeater)

Kuranda, Queensland, Australia
November 2010

The Dusky Myzomela is distributed in the north of Northern Territory and around Cape York and south along the eastern coast of Queensland. It is also found in Papua New Guinea and some nearby islands.

Its principal habitat in Australia is rainforest but it is also found in riparian forest and open eucalypt woodland. It feeds mainly on nectar but also on insects and spiders. It usually forages in the middle storey and the canopy of the forest.

Photo 1 shows a bird with a red wash on the forehead and ear coverts. HBW says, "some have very faint and diffuse maroon wash on forehead and forecrown (and sometimes very faintly over more of the face, chin and throat)"

Photo 4 shows a bird with a swollen yellow gape indicating that it is a juvenile.

There is more information available via Avibase.

Photos 1 to 4 show the sub-species M. o. harterti found in northern and eastern Queensland while photo 5 shows the nominate sub-species from Northern Territory. Note the longer bill and the paler plumage.

Dusky Myzomela, Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia, October 2013 - click for larger image

Back to Index

If you do not see a menu on the left, you may have arrived at this page from another site. Please click Home to get to my main page.