- Nesoptilotis leucotis
Lichenostomus leucotis
Identification
It has a noticeable white splash behind the eyes, the 'ears', on a mainly black head, throat and beak. The top of the head is a dark grey colour. The body is a green colour, shading to a softer yellow underbelly.
Distribution
The White-eared Honeyeater (Lichenostomus leucotis) is an Australian bird found in south east Australia from Queensland to Victoria, and westwards to south west Queensland into southern Western Australia.
Taxonomy
Formerly placed in the genus Lichenostomus.
Subspecies
Clements recognizes these subspecies[1]:
- N. l. leucotis: coastal Australian forests from southeastern Queensland southward to Victoria and southeastern South Australia
- N. l. depauperata: inland mallee woodland east of the Great Dividing Range in southeastern Australia
- N. l. thomasi: Kangaroo Island
- N. l. novaenorciae: Eyre Peninsula, Gawler Ranges, and Yellabinna region of South Australia
- N. l. schoddei: mallee and semiarid eucalypt woodland of southern Western Australia
Habitat
Dry eucalypt forests and woodlands, with a well-developed understorey, heath, shrubland and scrub habitats, and at a variety of altitudes.
Behaviour
The diet includes insects, nectar, fruit, manna, lerp, and honeydew.
The nests are built close to the ground in shrubs or low trees; the nest is a deep, thick-walled, open cup, lined with the fur or hair of mammals, including humans. The eggs are incubated by the female, while both parents feed the young. Nests are parasitized by the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Pallid Cuckoo, the Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo and Shining Bronze-Cuckoo.
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
