Journal articles: 'Honeyeaters'

1

Pearce, J., P. Menkhorst, and MA Burgman. "Niche overlap and competition for habitat between the helmeted honeyeater and the bell miner." Wildlife Research 22, no. 6 (1995): 633. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9950633.

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This study aimed to investigate the extent of habitat overlap and competition between helmeted honeyeaters and bell miners at Yellingbo State Nature Reserve by comparing the structural attributes of occupied habitat, the spatial distribution of suitable and occupied habitat, and the reoccupation of former habitat by the helmeted honeyeater following bell miner removal. The results suggest that little niche overlap occurs between the two honeyeaters, at least within the range of structural attributes measured in the study, and that competition appears to be for space rather than any other limiting resource. It is concluded that, in the short term, the best way to minimise the conflict between the two honeyeaters and favour the expansion of helmeted honeyeaters is to remove bell miners from adjacent habitat.

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2

Christidis, L., R. Schodde, and NA Robinson. "Affinities of the Aberrant Australo-Papuan Honeyeaters, Toxorhamphus, Oedistoma, Timeliopsis and Epthianura - Protein Evidence." Australian Journal of Zoology 41, no. 5 (1993): 423. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9930423.

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Allozyme variation at 18 presumptive loci among 15 species of Australo-Papuan passerines was used to clarify the affinities of the aberrant genera Toxorhamphus, Oedistoma, Timeliopsis and Epthianura, all conventionally associated with honeyeaters (Meliphagidae). Both distance-based and discrete-state phylogenetic analyses were performed on the data. The analyses corroborated results from DNA-DNA hybridisation studies that Toxorhamphus and Oedistoma are not honeyeaters, but in fact are related to the berrypeckers and flowerpeckers Melanocharis and Dicaeum. Oedistoma iliolophus was found to be more closely allied to Melanocharis than to Toxorhamphus. This result is consistent with generic separation of O. iliolophus from Toxorhamphus, contrary to groupings interpreted from DNA-DNA hybridisation data. Timeliopsis was identified as a typical honeyeater despite the atypical form of its tongue. Epthianura was also aligned with the honeyeaters but, contrary to analysis by DNA-DNA hybridisation, only as a sister-group of the core honeyeater assemblage.

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3

Weathers, WW, DC Paton, and RS Seymour. "Field Metabolic Rate and Water Flux of Nectarivorous Honeyeaters." Australian Journal of Zoology 44, no. 5 (1996): 445. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9960445.

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Field metabolic rate (FMR) and water influx of New Holland honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae), eastern spinebills (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris) and a crescent honeyeater (P. pyrrhoptera) were measured by the doubly labelled water technique. New Holland honeyeaters had just finished breeding and were beginning their summer moult. They ranged in mass from 15.4 to 21.0 g (mean = 17.3 g, n = 12) and had FMRs averaging 8.8 mt CO2 g(-1) h(-1) or 77.6 kJ day(-1), which was 2.8 times their measured basal metabolic rate (BMR). Their water influx rate averaged 10.7 mL day(-1). Eastern spinebills were still feeding young and had yet to begin moulting. They ranged in mass from 8.0 to 10.7 g (mean = 9.7 g, n = 6), had FMRs averaging 10.9 mL CO2 g(-1) h(-1) or 52.9 kJ day(-1) (2.5 times their measured BMR), and had an average water influx rate of 8.7 mL day(-1). FMR and water influx of a single 14.6-g crescent honeyeater, which was in late primary moult, were 75.9 kJ day(-1) (2.7 times measured BMR) and 12.5 mL day(-1). The FMR of New Holland honeyeaters varied inversely with mean standard operative temperature (T-es) calculated for values of T-es below 20 degrees C as follows: FMR (kJ day(-1)) = 134 - 5.47 T-es (n = 12, r(2) = 0.52). Honeyeater FMRs were much lower than would be predicted allometrically for hummingbirds of the same mass, reflecting the honeyeaters' low-cost foraging tactic of consuming nectar while perched.

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4

L. Oliver, D., and G. W. Lollback. "Breeding habitat selection by the endangered Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia (Meliphagidae) at the local and landscape scale." Pacific Conservation Biology 16, no. 1 (2010): 27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc100027.

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This is the first Australian study to apply logistical modelling techniques to describe the breeding habitat selection of a widely dispersed, highly mobile, threatened bird species. Landscape and microhabitat structural attributes of breeding habitat occupied by the endangered Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia in the Bundarra-Barraba region of northern NSW were compared to those of unoccupied habitat using logistic regression modelling. Models containing landscape scale variables were best at explaining Regent Honeyeater presence. Regent Honeyeater occupation was negatively associated with the amount of woodland cover surrounding a site (1 km and 2 km radius) and distance to patch edge, and was positively associated with site connectivity and linear remnants. Linear, well-connected woodland patches surrounded by cleared grazing land are typical of the remnant native vegetation occupied by Regent Honeyeaters in the Bundarra-Barraba region. The landscape models developed here can be used to identify potential new sites for protection and rehabilitation, and to assess the suitability of unsurveyed or unoccupied sites for the release of captively bred Regent Honeyeaters, which is identified as one of the priority recovery action for the species.

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5

Oliver, Damon L. "Activity budget of the regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, in northern New South Wales." Australian Journal of Zoology 49, no. 6 (2001): 695. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo00034.

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One of the suggested reasons for the decline of the endangered regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, is a decrease in foraging efficiency and increase in competition for resources due to the loss, fragmentation and degradation of woodlands and other habitats in south-eastern Australia. This study investigated the general behaviour of regent honeyeaters over 26 months during breeding and non-breeding seasons at three distinct locations in northern New South Wales. At the three locations, regent honeyeaters spent, on average, 43–52% of total time foraging, 22–40% resting, 6–10% flying, and 1.8–2.9% involved in aggression. In the Bundarra–Barraba region, regent honeyeaters spent 24% of total time breeding. In 1994 in the Warrumbungle National Park, birds that fed primarily on nectar spent more time in aggressive acts than birds that fed mostly on lerp. In 1995 in the Bundarra–Barraba region, nectar-feeding birds spent significantly less time foraging and more time in aggressive acts than lerp-feeding birds. In 1994, regent honeyeaters at Howes Valley spent less time foraging and in aggression and greater time resting in the afternoon than at other times of the day. In 1996 in the Bundarra–Barraba region, birds spent the greatest amount of time in aggressive acts and the least amount of time resting in the morning compared with other times of the day. Non-breeding regent honeyeaters in the Bundarra–Barraba region spent more time foraging, less time resting and less time in aggression in 1995 than in 1996. Non-breeding birds, on average, chased other birds 12.5 times per hour compared with an average of 20 times for breeding birds. Regent honeyeaters displayed a behavioural repertoire and proportion of time in different activities that is typical of other honeyeaters. Overall, this study showed that regent honeyeaters are not consistently or frequently suffering from a lack of, or problems with access to, food.

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6

Joseph, Leo, Alex Drew, Ian J. Mason, and Jeffrey L. Peters. "Introgression between non-sister species of honeyeaters (Aves: Meliphagidae) several million years after speciation." Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 128, no. 3 (October 3, 2019): 583–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blz129.

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Abstract We reassessed whether two parapatric non-sister Australian honeyeater species (Aves: Meliphagidae), varied and mangrove honeyeaters (Gavicalis versicolor and G. fasciogularis, respectively), that diverged from a common ancestor c. 2.5 Mya intergrade in the Townsville area of north-eastern Queensland. Consistent with a previous specimen-based study, by using genomics methods we show one-way gene flow for autosomal but not Z-linked markers from varied into mangrove honeyeaters. Introgression barely extends south of the area of parapatry in and around the city of Townsville. While demonstrating the long-term porosity of species boundaries over several million years, our data also suggest a clear role of sex chromosomes in maintaining reproductive isolation.

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7

Goulding, William, Patrick Moss, and Clive McAlpine. "Additional notes on the life history of the Tagula Honeyeater Microptilotis vicina in Papua New Guinea." Australian Field Ornithology 38 (2021): 38–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.20938/afo38038043.

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We revisited a location to study previously individually marked Tagula Honeyeaters Microptilotis vicina in 2019, 3 years after the original 2016 study on Junet Island, Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Re-encountered Tagula Honeyeaters indicated sedentary behaviour across years and an average annual adult survival rate of ≥0.75. We made the first observations of building and laying at two nests, and recorded nesting habits in the species. Tagula Honeyeaters showed the general trend in the honeyeater family of only the female building the nest and incubating. Nests were similar to those previously observed and to those of related species. Clutch-size in both nests was two and laying was on consecutive days. Eggs were white to off-white, with a ring of liver-brown spots and markings around the larger end. Incubation began on the day that the second egg was laid and lasted 14 days in both nests. Males visited the nest area only after the eggs hatched. At one nest, the nestling period was suspected to be 12 days. These limited observations of the only endemic island representative in Microptilotis indicate that, like plumage characters, breeding parameters remain similar within the genus.

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8

Cooke, Belinda, and Ursula Munro. "Orientation studies on the regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia (Meliphagidae), an endangered bird of south-eastern Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 48, no. 4 (2000): 379. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo00005.

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Six juvenile regent honeyeaters, Xanthomyza phrygia, from a captive population held at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, were tested for their orientation in the early morning between April and July 1998. Testing was performed outdoors in Emlen orientation cages, which were covered with opaque lids. All study birds oriented in a north-easterly direction between April and late May (Stage 1). During June and July (Stage 2) no uniform directional preferences were shown. The results obtained for regent honeyeaters during the April/May period suggest that there is some genetic control of seasonal movements and that the birds use a non-visual compass mechanism, as in some migratory Australian birds. The interpretation of our results remains tentative due to the lack of knowledge of regent honeyeater movements in the wild.

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9

Driskell, Amy, Les Christidis, B. J. Gill, Walter E. Boles, F. Keith Barker, and N. W. Longmore. "A new endemic family of New Zealand passerine birds: adding heat to a biodiversity hotspot." Australian Journal of Zoology 55, no. 2 (2007): 73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo07007.

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The results of phylogenetic analysis of two molecular datasets sampling all three endemic New Zealand ‘honeyeaters’ (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, Anthornis melanura and Notiomystis cincta) are reported. The undisputed relatedness of the first two species to other honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), and a close relationship between them, are demonstrated. However, our results confirm that Notiomystis is not a honeyeater, but is instead most closely related to the Callaeidae (New Zealand wattlebirds) represented by Philesturnus carunculatus in our study. An estimated divergence time for Notiomystis and Philesturnus of 33.8 mya (Oligocene) suggests a very long evolutionary history of this clade in New Zealand. As a taxonomic interpretation of these data we place Notiomystis in a new family of its own which takes the name Notiomystidae. We expect this new phylogenetic and taxonomic information to assist policy decisions for the conservation of this rare bird.

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10

Pyke, GH, M. Christy, and RE Major. "Territoriality in Honeyeaters: Reviewing the Concept and Evaluating Available Information." Australian Journal of Zoology 44, no. 3 (1996): 297. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9960297.

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We define territorial behaviour as aggressive behaviour that occurs repeatedly in about the same location with associated submissive behaviour on the part of the individuals or groups to which the aggression is directed. Of a worldwide total of about 170 honeyeater species (Meliphagidae), 36 have been described as being territorial and we consider that 28 of these have been shown to satisfy our definition of territoriality. We discuss the consequences of territorial behaviour and the determination of the boundaries and areas of territories. We also review the available information regarding territorial behaviour exhibited by the New Holland honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae), the most studied of all honeyeater species. We recommend that future descriptions of territorial behaviour attempt to determine the intensity of the behaviour, sharpness of the territory boundary, degree of exclusive use of the relevant resource, and the extent to which areas separate from the territory are used by the territory owner or owners. For territoriality to become a useful concept for honeyeaters, behaviour that leads to the label of 'territorial' must be fully documented.

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11

STIRNEMANN, REBECCA L., MURRAY A. POTTER, DAVID BUTLER, and EDWARD O. MINOT. "Slow life history traits in an endangered tropical island bird, the Ma’oma’o." Bird Conservation International 26, no. 3 (September 30, 2015): 366–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270915000234.

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SummaryAn effective conservation strategy for a species requires knowledge of its biology and life history. This applies to the endangered Ma’oma’o Gymnomyza samoensis, a honeyeater endemic to the Samoan archipelago. Now locally extinct in American Samoa, this species is currently found only in declining numbers on the islands of Upolu and Savai’i in Samoa. Despite being endangered, the life history and breeding behaviour of the Ma’oma’o has not been documented previously. Here we examine Ma’oma’o nesting and breeding biology, which are unique among studied honeyeaters and unusual for passerines in general. Ma’oma’o lay only a single egg per clutch and have an extended breeding season that occurs outside the rainy season and peaks during budburst. Allometric analysis of the length of the nesting period of different honeyeaters versus adult body weight showed that Ma’oma’o remain in the nest for a longer period than expected for their body size. The post-fledging dependency period of 2.5–3 months was also extended compared to other honeyeater species. No Ma’oma’o were observed re-nesting after successfully raising a chick, though pairs attempted to re-nest following breeding failure. Despite the extended breeding season, the maximum annual reproductive capacity of Ma’oma’o is limited by their one-egg clutch and failure to nest again after fledging one chick. We discuss how these slow life history traits can influence conservation strategies, affect monitoring and limit recovery.

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12

Woodside, D. P., and G. H. Pyke. "A Comparison of Bats and Birds as Pollinators of Banksia integrifolia in Northern New South Wales, Australia." Australian Mammalogy 18, no. 1 (1995): 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am95009.

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We captured Queensland Blossom Bats (Syconycteris australis) feeding at the flowers of Banksia integrifolia during the night and several honeyeater species feeding at the same flowers during the day. Nearby were flowering Melaleuca quinquenervia and various forested areas including littoral rainforest. Honeyeaters appear to be more frequent visitors to the Banksia flowers than Blossom Bats but less effective at transporting pollen. When they are feeding at Banksia flowers both birds and bats carry pollen on the parts of their bodies that contact successive inflorescences. Hence, both honeyeaters and bats are likely to be pollinators of B. integrifolia in our study area. However, the flowers produce nectar and dehisce pollen primarily at night, suggesting that Blossom Bats are more important than honeyeaters as pollinators of this plant. Banksia pollen was the most common item in the diet of the Blossom Bats during our study and the bats were able to digest the contents of this pollen. Interestingly, the diet of these animals also included relatively small amounts of Melaleuca pollen, fruit and arthropods. The spatial and temporal patterns of capture of the Blossom Bats suggested that Blossom Bats prefer to forage at Banksia flowers that are near to the forested areas and that adult bats may influence where and when younger bats feed. Banksia integrifolia appears to produce nectar mostly during the night and/or early morning in two different locations, one coastal and one on the tablelands, but shows different daily patterns of pollen anthesis in these locations.

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13

Wooller, RD, KC Richardson, and CM Pagendham. "The Digestion of Pollen by Some Australian Birds." Australian Journal of Zoology 36, no. 4 (1988): 357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9880357.

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About one-third of all banksia pollen grains excreted 1-2 hours after ingestion by captive New Holland honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae), zebra finches (Poephila guttata) and budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), had lost their protoplasmic contents. Most pollen passed through the digestive systems of these birds in 4-5 hours and up to 44% of grains were digested. The faeces of wild purple- crowned lorikeets (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala) showed a similar proportion of empty grains. In the budgerigar, honeyeater and lorikeet, loss of contents of pollen grains occurred, not in the stomach, but progressively along the intestine.

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14

GOULDING, WILLIAM, PATRICK T. MOSS, and CLIVE A. MCALPINE. "An assessment of the Tagula Honeyeater Microptilotis vicina, a Data Deficient bird species in a Melanesian endemic hotspot." Bird Conservation International 30, no. 3 (July 22, 2019): 474–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s095927091900025x.

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SummaryWe conducted research into the ‘Data Deficient’ and endemic Tagula Honeyeater Microptilotis vicina of the Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. This species was only observed on Sudest and Junet Islands. Islands were visited between October and January in the years from 2012–2014 and in 2016. We conducted the first assessment of spatial and habitat use by this species using radio-tracking in 2016. These findings were also used to inform estimates using traditional population density methods. CTMM package in R was used for home-range estimation for the tracked honeyeaters. Our results supported that members of this species display territoriality during the breeding season, occupying a mean of 2.0 ± 0.6 (SE) ha on Junet Island (n = 5). Whether individuals defended defined territories at other times of the year was not known but re-sightings of marked birds confirmed them to be locally resident. Population estimates ranged between 53,000 and 85,000 individuals. However, more conservative estimates nearing 50,000 individuals were considered prudent given lower population densities observed on parts of the larger Sudest Island (0.64/ha). This species utilised the canopy and understorey layers in a range of habitats from mangroves at sea-level, gardens and regrowth of various ages to cloud forest on the highest point of Sudest Island (∼800 m asl). Dietary observations support that like many closely related species, Tagula Honeyeaters have a broad diet of mostly insects supplemented with nectar and fruit. Observations indicated that this species had life history attributes toward the slower end of the spectrum but similar to other congeners. Vocalisations were more diverse in both structure and complexity than those of suspected close relatives the Mimic Microptilotis analogus and Graceful Microptilotis gracilis Honeyeaters. Morphological measures were similarly different, supporting species level recognition.

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15

Oliver, Damon L. "The breeding behaviour of the endangered regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, near Armidale, New South Wales." Australian Journal of Zoology 46, no. 2 (1998): 153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo97028.

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The regent honeyea ter, Xanthomyza phrygia, is an endangered woodland bird whose range and population size have decreased in the last thirty years. Suggested reasons for this decline include abnormal breeding behaviour, poor reproductive output, and excessive inter- and intra-specific aggression. This study investigated the breeding behaviour and aggressive interactions of regent honeyeaters during the nest construction, incubation, nestling, and fledgling stages in two consecutive breeding seasons in the Bundarra–Barraba region near Armidale, New South Wales. The female was entirely responsible for nest construction and incubation, which is typical of many honeyeaters. Both parents fed the nestlings, and at a similar rate, although only the female brooded chicks on the nest. Both parents fed the fledglings. The mean frequency at which nestlings (23 times per hour) and fledglings (29 times per hour) were fed is the highest published rate of any non-cooperative honeyeater. Breeding males were involved in significantly more aggressive interactions with conspecifics and other nectarivores than were females, although the overall percentage of day-time spent in aggression for both sexes was low (2.5%). It appears that abnormal breeding behaviour, poor reproductive effort, or excessive aggression are not experienced by this species in northern New South Wales, and that other factors are likely to be responsible for its current low population level.

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16

Franklin, DC, IJ Smales, MA Miller, and PW Menkhorst. "The reproductive biology of the helmeted honeyeater, Lichenostomus melanops cassidix." Wildlife Research 22, no. 2 (1995): 173. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9950173.

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The reproductive biology of the critically endangered helmeted honeyeater was documented in and near the Yellingbo State Nature Reserve, Victoria, from 1984 to 1993. The population bred in pairs, sometimes with helpers. Females did most of the nest construction, incubation and brooding; both parents fed the young and males more often defended the nest. Nests were cup-shaped and placed in shrub thickets, or less commonly in reedbeds, ferns or eucalypt foliage. In all, 91% of clutches were of two eggs. Young fledged from 33% of nests, estimated by the Mayfield method. Predation was the main cause of nest failure, with adverse weather also a significant contributor. Post-fledging survival was high. Juveniles were substantially independent by the sixth week after hatching. The helmeted honeyeater was markedly multi-brooded, with re-nesting usually occurring rapidly after both failure and success. The commitment by individual pairs of helmeted honeyeaters to reproduction can extend to a predictable 70% of the year. This level of commitment is probably facilitated by their sedentary, territorial nature and the moisture-stable environment occupied. Reproductive performance does not limit the helmeted honeyeater population.

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17

Holz, Peter H., James R. Phelan, and Ron Slocombe. "Thiamine Deficiency in Honeyeaters." Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 16, no. 1 (March 2002): 21–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1647/1082-6742(2002)016[0021:tdih]2.0.co;2.

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18

Richardson, KC, and RD Wooller. "The Structures of the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Honeyeaters and Other Small Birds in Relation to Their Diets." Australian Journal of Zoology 34, no. 2 (1986): 119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9860119.

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Honeyeaters, with a diet of nectar and small, soft-bodied insects, had smaller, less muscular gizzards and shorter intestines than insect-eating birds of comparable body size from the same area of Western Australia. Stomach width was correlated with body weight in insectivores but not in the more nectarivorous honeyeaters. Intestine length increased with increase in body weight in both insectivores and nectarivores.

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Ford, Hugh A., and Steve Trémont. "Life history characteristics of two Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)." Australian Journal of Zoology 48, no. 1 (2000): 21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo99030.

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Most endemic Australian passerines that have been studied display long breeding seasons, multiple nesting attempts, small clutches, low annual productivity, high longevity and a high incidence of cooperative breeding. We compare the life histories of two large endemic honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) near Armidale, New South Wales. Red wattlebirds, Anthochaera carunculata, have a long breeding season, with many nesting attempts and clutches of two eggs, similar to other honeyeaters whose breeding biology has been studied. Noisy friarbirds, Philemon corniculatus, which are spring and summer visitors to the study area, have shorter breeding seasons, usually making one attempt and have a modal clutch size of three. Both species had incubation and nestling periods of about 16 days. Friarbirds apparently have a laying interval of 24 hours, the same as other honeyeaters, but unlike some other endemic passerines, which have laying intervals of 48 hours. Breeding success did not differ between the species, with young fledging from 32.7% of wattlebird nests and 40.9% of friarbird nests. The reproductive strategy of the noisy friarbird thus differs quantitatively from the apparent norm for other honeyeaters and many other Australian endemic passerines.

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L. Oliver, Damon, Andrew J. Ley, Hugh A. Ford, and Beth Williams. "Habitat of the Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia and the value of the Bundarra-Barraba region for the conservation of avifauna." Pacific Conservation Biology 5, no. 3 (1999): 224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc990224.

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Five types of woodland and forest in the Bundarra-Barraba region of northern New South Wales were surveyed for Regent Honeyeaters Xanthomyza phrygia and other birds over two years. Regent Honeyeaters were found in 24 of the 93 transects, at a density of 0.09 birds/ha. Most were found in box-ironbark woodland (34% of 62 sites), with single records from box-gum woodland, box-stringybark woodland and dry plateau complex woodland. No Regent Honeyeaters were found in riparian gallery forest during censuses, but they were found breeding there at other times. All habitats contained a high density of birds, compared to other wooded regions in southern Australia, with riparian gallery forest and box-ironbark woodland being particularly rich in species and numbers. These habitats had greater flowering indices, larger trees and more mistletoes than other habitats. Sites used by Regent Honeyeaters supported significantly more birds and bird species than unoccupied sites. The region supports a total of 193 species, four of which are nationally threatened and seven which are threatened in New South Wales. The richness of the bird community in the region is partly because it retains a higher proportion of native vegetation cover (43%) than many other parts of rural Australia. Protection and rehabilitation of box-ironbark woodland and riparian gallery forest is of high priority in a regional conservation plan. However, all habitats in the Bundarra-Barraba region should be protected from clearing and degradation, because they are also used at times by Regent Honeyeaters and support a wide range of bird species. Wise management should retain many sensitive bird species that have disappeared from or declined in other regions of southeastern Australia.

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21

Pearce, JL, MA Burgman, and DC Franklin. "Habitat selection by helmeted honeyeaters." Wildlife Research 21, no. 1 (1994): 53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9940053.

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The realised niche of the helmeted honeyeater, in terms of the floristic and structural attributes of the vegetation, was determined using logistic discrimination. The vegetation was divided into two communities, Eucalyptus camphora swampland and E. viminalis-dominated riparian forest, based on differences observed in other studies on foraging behaviour within these two communities. The variables describing the realised niche of the helmeted honeyeater in the E. camphora community were a high bark index, a large number of E. camphora stems and the presence of surface water. The results for the E. viminalis community were less conclusive, but suggest that a deep eucalypt canopy may be important. These variables relate to the feeding and breeding biology of the helmeted honeyeater. Habitat models of this form will allow appropriate habitat management strategies for Yellingbo State Nature Reserve to be developed, as well as allow the suitability of potential helmeted honeyeater release or relocation sites to be assessed.

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22

Collins, BG, and J. Spice. "Honeyeaters and the Pollination Biology of Banksia prionotes (Proteaceae)." Australian Journal of Botany 34, no. 2 (1986): 175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9860175.

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Honeyeaters such as Phylidonyris novaehotlandiae and Lichmera indistincta forage preferentially in regions of Banksia prionotes inflorescences where nectar and pollen are most abundant, removing pollen from freshly opened florets and transferring some of it to the stigmatic grooves of other florets on the same or different inflorescences. Each floret is protandrous, with pollen dispersal occurring during the first 4-8 h following initial presentation and significant esterase secretion by the stigma commencing after this phase has ended. Foraging by honeyeaters results in considerable pollen movement between florets on individual trees, although B. prionotes appears to be highly self-incompatible. Movement of honeyeaters and pollen between inflorescences on different trees occurs less frequently than between those on the same trees. Nevertheless, outcrossing leads to penetration of styles by tubes formed by pollen grains deposited in stigmatic grooves in some instances. Despite the small size and isolation of the population studied, the resultant level of follicle formation per infructescence, and percentage seed set, are greater than for most other Banksia species for which data are available.

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23

Oliver, Damon L. "The importance of insects and lerp in the diet of juvenile regent honeyeaters, Xanthomyza phrygia: implications for the conservation of an endangered woodland bird." Wildlife Research 25, no. 4 (1998): 409. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr97078.

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The dietary items fed to regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, nestlings and fledglings by adults were recorded in two consecutive breeding seasons in the Bundarra–Barraba region west of Armidale, New South Wales. Insects were the most common dietary items fed to juveniles (53% of identified items), followed by lerp (26.5%) and nectar (20.5%). Nestlings were fed mostly insects (58% of feeds), and carbohydrates (nectar and lerp) made up the rest of their diet. Fledglings, however, were fed mainly carbohydrates (nectar and lerp comprised 61.2% of all items) while protein from insects was the other major component of their diet. Males tended to feed juveniles more insects than did females, although there were no significant divisions of labour between parents in selecting dietary items for nestlings or fledglings. This study highlights the importance of insects and lerp in the diet of juvenile regent honeyeaters, and the diversity of plant species on which their parents foraged. The species shows a broader resource selection than was found in previous studies which considered the species to be highly nectarivorous and selective for a few key eucalypt species. The importance of insects and carbohydrates other than nectar in the diet of the regent honeyeater needs to be recognised in the development of conservation strategies for the species.

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Napier, Kathryn R., Cromwell Purchase, Todd J. McWhorter, Susan W. Nicolson, and Patricia A. Fleming. "The sweet life: diet sugar concentration influences paracellular glucose absorption." Biology Letters 4, no. 5 (June 17, 2008): 530–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0253.

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Small birds and bats face strong selection pressure to digest food rapidly in order to reduce digesta mass carried during flight. One mechanism is rapid absorption of a high proportion of glucose via the paracellular pathway (transfer between epithelial cells, not mediated by transporter proteins). Intestinal paracellular permeability to glucose was assessed for two nectarivorous passerines, the Australian New Holland honeyeater ( Phylidonyris novaehollandiae ) and African white-bellied sunbird ( Cinnyris talatala ) by measuring the bioavailability of radiolabelled, passively absorbed l -glucose. Bioavailability was high in both species and increased with diet sugar concentration (honeyeaters, 37 and 81% and sunbirds, 53 and 71% for 250 and 1000 mmol l −1 sucrose diets, respectively). We conclude that the relative contribution of paracellular to total glucose absorption increases with greater digesta retention time in the intestine, and paracellular absorption may also be modulated by factors such as intestinal lumen osmolality and interaction with mediated glucose uptake. The dynamic state of paracellular absorption should be taken into account in future studies.

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25

Runciman, David. "Activity Budget of Non-breeding Helmeted Honeyeaters." Emu - Austral Ornithology 96, no. 1 (March 1996): 62–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9960062.

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26

Craig, John L. "Status and foraging in New Zealand honeyeaters." New Zealand Journal of Zoology 12, no. 4 (October 1985): 589–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03014223.1985.10428308.

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27

Crates, Ross, Aleks Terauds, Laura Rayner, Dejan Stojanovic, Robert Heinsohn, Dean Ingwersen, and Matthew Webb. "An occupancy approach to monitoring regent honeyeaters." Journal of Wildlife Management 81, no. 4 (April 7, 2017): 669–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21222.

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28

H. Loyn, Richard. "Effects of an extensive wildfire on birds in far eastern Victoria." Pacific Conservation Biology 3, no. 3 (1997): 221. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc970221.

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A major wildfire burned 228 400 ha of forest in East Gippsland (Victoria, Australia) in February and March 1983, including Cooaggalah forest block where flora and fauna studies had just commenced. Bird abundance was assessed on 13 sites immediately before and after the fire, and annually for three years to 1986. The sites represented a range of habitats including rainforest, heaths and eucalypt forest, all of which burned. Total bird abundance was reduced to 60% of initial levels by the fire, but recovered within three years. These changes differed significantly between habitats. Initial decreases were greatest and subsequent recovery least in heaths where most above-ground vegetation had been killed. Post-fire increases were greatest in rainforest and on granite ridges, and in each case bird abundance rose to levels substantially higher than before fire. Some changes may have involved recovery from drought as well as fire. Changes over time were highly significant for many groups of birds (e.g., honeyeaters), while others showed little change (e.g., bark-foragers and insectivores that inhabit dense understorey or damp ground below shrubs). Honeyeaters and seed-eaters suffered the greatest initial declines, and some species in these groups were slow to recover (e.g., New Holland and Crescent Honeyeaters and Beautiful Firetail). Some species that feed from open ground increased quickly to levels greater than before fire (Flame and Scarlet Robins, Buff-rumped Thornbill and Superb Fairy-wren), but all except the latter then declined as shrubs regenerated. The main loss of birds immediately after the fire was of highly mobile species, and the composition of the remaining bird fauna appeared to depend on resource availability rather than the capacity of species to survive the fire front. Initial responses of species to fire were poor predictors of their responses after three years. Hence, the effects of fire should be considered in terms of habitat changes over several years. Many forest types including rainforest can provide continuing habitat even when they burn, but populations of mobile birds such as honeyeaters depend on access to alternative habitats on a broad regional scale.

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29

Grey, Merilyn J., Michael F. Clarke, and Richard H. Loyn. "Initial Changes in the Avian Communities of Remnant Eucalypt Woodlands following a Reduction in the Abundance of Noisy Miners, Manorina melanocephala." Wildlife Research 24, no. 6 (1997): 631. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr96080.

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It has been postulated that aggressive honeyeaters like the noisy miner, Manorina melanocephala, may contribute to rural tree decline by excluding small insectivorous birds from remnant patches of woodland, thereby reducing the level of predation upon defoliating insects. Previous studies provide correlational evidence that avian diversity and abundance is lower in remnant patches of woodland occupied by noisy miners than in those without noisy miners. Noisy miners were removed from three small remnant patches of woodland in north-eastern Victoria. The removal of the majority of noisy miners from a site, or even the removal of only part of a noisy miner colony from a site, resulted in a major influx of honeyeaters and other insectivorous birds to these sites in the following three months. Such major invasions were not observed on matching control sites. At two of the three removal sites, this led to an increase in both the abundance and diversity of birds on the site. At the third site, there was an increase in the diversity, but not the abundance of birds. These experiments are the first to demonstrate that noisy miners affect avian diversity and abundance by aggressive exclusion of small birds. They also showed that if domination by noisy miners is reduced, small, degraded woodland remnants can support significant populations of some small insectivorous birds and honeyeaters. Noisy miners did not reinvade the experimental sites during the following 16 months and avian diversity and abundance remained higher at the experimental sites than at the paired control sites. Long-term monitoring is needed to determine whether the small invading bird species have a lasting effect upon insect populations and tree health.

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30

Franklin, Donald C. "Helmeted Honeyeaters Build Bulkier Nests in Cold Weather." Auk 112, no. 1 (January 1995): 247–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/4088785.

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31

Oliver, Damon L. "Roosting of Non-breeding Regent Honeyeaters Xanthomyza phrygia." Emu - Austral Ornithology 98, no. 1 (March 1998): 65–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu98007c.

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32

Robertson, J. S., and P. F. Woodall. "Survival of Brown Honeyeaters in South-East Queensland." Emu - Austral Ornithology 87, no. 3 (September 1987): 137–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9870137.

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33

Norman, Janette A., Frank E. Rheindt, Diane L. Rowe, and Les Christidis. "Speciation dynamics in the Australo-Papuan Meliphaga honeyeaters." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42, no. 1 (January 2007): 80–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.032.

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34

Diamond, Jared, Stuart L. Pimm, Michael E. Gilpin, and Mary LeCroy. "Rapid Evolution of Character Displacement in Myzomelid Honeyeaters." American Naturalist 134, no. 5 (November 1989): 675–708. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/285006.

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35

Rasch, Gretchen, and John L. Craig. "Partitioning of nectar resources by New Zealand honeyeaters." New Zealand Journal of Zoology 15, no. 2 (April 1988): 185–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03014223.1988.10422613.

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36

Whitmore, Mary J. "Infanticide of nestling noisy miners, communally breeding honeyeaters." Animal Behaviour 34, no. 3 (June 1986): 933–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0003-3472(86)80083-5.

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37

Miller, M. A. "Provisioning by captive yellow-tufted honeyeaters (Lichenostomus melanops gippslandicus) acting as foster parents for helmeted honeyeater chicks (L. m. cassidix)." Zoo Biology 13, no. 3 (1994): 209–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/zoo.1430130303.

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38

Clarke, Rohan H., Damon L. Oliver, Rebecca L. Boulton, Phillip Cassey, and Michael F. Clarke. "Assessing programs for monitoring threatened species - a tale of three honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)." Wildlife Research 30, no. 5 (2003): 427. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr02056.

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We critically evaluated population-monitoring programs for three endangered species of Australian honeyeater: the helmeted honeyeater, Lichenostomus melanops cassidix, the black-eared miner, Manorina melanotis, and the regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia (Meliphagidae). Our results challenge the common assumption that meaningful monitoring is possible in all species within the five-year lifetime of recovery plans. We found that the precision achievable from monitoring programs not only depends on the monitoring technique applied but also on the species' biology. Relevant life-history attributes include a species' pattern of movement, its home-range size and its distribution. How well understood and predictable these attributes are will also influence monitoring precision. Our results highlight the large degree of variability in precision among monitoring programs and the value of applying power analysis before continuing longer-term studies. They also suggest that managers and funding agencies should be mindful that more easily monitored species should not receive preferential treatment over species that prove more difficult to monitor.

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39

Burd, Martin, C. Tristan Stayton, Mani Shrestha, and Adrian G. Dyer. "Distinctive convergence in Australian floral colours seen through the eyes of Australian birds." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281, no. 1781 (April 22, 2014): 20132862. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2862.

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We used a colour-space model of avian vision to assess whether a distinctive bird pollination syndrome exists for floral colour among Australian angiosperms. We also used a novel phylogenetically based method to assess whether such a syndrome represents a significant degree of convergent evolution. About half of the 80 species in our sample that attract nectarivorous birds had floral colours in a small, isolated region of colour space characterized by an emphasis on long-wavelength reflection. The distinctiveness of this ‘red arm’ region was much greater when colours were modelled for violet-sensitive (VS) avian vision than for the ultraviolet-sensitive visual system. Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) are the dominant avian nectarivores in Australia and have VS vision. Ancestral state reconstructions suggest that 31 lineages evolved into the red arm region, whereas simulations indicate that an average of five or six lineages and a maximum of 22 are likely to have entered in the absence of selection. Thus, significant evolutionary convergence on a distinctive floral colour syndrome for bird pollination has occurred in Australia, although only a subset of bird-pollinated taxa belongs to this syndrome. The visual system of honeyeaters has been the apparent driver of this convergence.

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40

Mac Nally, Ralph, and Christopher A. R. Timewell. "Resource Availability Controls Bird-Assemblage Composition Through Interspecific Aggression." Auk 122, no. 4 (October 1, 2005): 1097–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/122.4.1097.

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Abstract High-value resources are often defended aggressively by consumers, which can alter assemblage structure and dynamics. Here, we describe a system of nectarivorous bird assemblages exploiting pockets of eucalypt woodlands that differ dramatically in flowering and provision of nectar. The behavioral dominant, the Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera curunculata), aggressively reduces the occurrence and activities of other honeyeaters of the genera Lichenostomus and Melithreptus on sites of intense flowering. The latter genera predominate in moderately flowering areas, but few honeyeaters occupy poorly flowering sites. To understand such systems, in which temporal variation in habitat quality can be great, one needs to consider not only the disparity in habitat quality among locations but also the spatial extent of habitats of different quality. Isoleg analysis is a theoretical tool developed to understand how dominant and subordinate species partition habitats as a function of their respective densities. Our results suggest that isoleg analysis needs to be developed with spatial explicitness to capture variation in extent of habitats of different qualities and consequent effects on the usefulness of aggression for domination of resources. La Disponibilidad de Recursos Controla la Composición de los Ensambles de Aves a través de las Agresiones Interespecíficas

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41

Fleming, Patricia A., and Tracey L. Moore. "Do experimental methods affect estimates of pollen digestion by birds?" Australian Journal of Zoology 59, no. 6 (2011): 407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo12016.

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Pollen protoplasts may supply important nutritional resources for birds; however, they are locked up within the mechanically strong and biochemically complex pollen wall. Previous studies of pollen digestion in birds have yielded highly variable and often contradictory results. We tested whether these differences could reflect the vastly different methodologies that have been used. We used a standard method to investigate digestion of Banksia grandis (Proteaceae) pollen in New Holland honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae). Four types of B. grandis pollen were examined: fresh, frozen for a week, stored in conditions to stimulate pregermination for 24 h, or collected by honeybees. Our data indicate that although pollen treatment may influence digestibility of the pollen grains, these differences do not reach statistical significance because they are dwarfed by a high degree of variability between birds fed the same diet as well as variability in gut transit time (generally more pollen grains were digested over longer transit times). Similar patterns were observed for red wattlebirds (Anthochaera carunculata) fed bee-collected pollen. We believe that feeding behaviour or gut transit time may explain the marked differences between previous studies of pollen digestion by nectarivores, particularly the conflicting results for New Holland honeyeaters.

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Boulton, Rebecca L., Phillip Cassey, Clinton Schipper, and Michael F. Clarke. "Nest site selection by yellow-faced honeyeaters Lichenostomus chrysops." Journal of Avian Biology 34, no. 3 (August 28, 2003): 267–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-048x.2003.03062.x.

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43

Pyke, Graham H., and Paul J. O'connor. "Corroboree Behaviour of New Holland and White-cheeked Honeyeaters." Emu - Austral Ornithology 89, no. 1 (March 1989): 55–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9890055.

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44

Armstrong, Doug P. "Co-operative Care of Fledglings by New Holland Honeyeaters." Emu - Austral Ornithology 90, no. 2 (June 1990): 132–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9900132.

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45

Runciman, David, Donald C. Franklin, and Peter W. Menkhorst. "Movements of Helmeted Honeyeaters During the Non-breeding Season." Emu - Austral Ornithology 95, no. 2 (June 1995): 111–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9950111.

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46

Slater, Penelope J. "Niche Overlap Between Three Sympatric, Short-billed Honeyeaters in Tasmania." Emu - Austral Ornithology 94, no. 3 (September 1994): 186–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9940186.

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47

Driskell, Amy C., and Les Christidis. "Phylogeny and evolution of the Australo-Papuan honeyeaters (Passeriformes, Meliphagidae)." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31, no. 3 (June 2004): 943–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.017.

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48

McNab, BK. "Analysis of factors that influence energy expenditure in honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)." New Zealand Journal of Zoology 43, no. 2 (April 2, 2016): 179–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2016.1148746.

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49

Chapman, Angela, and Graham N. Harrington. "Responses by birds to fire regime and vegetation at the wet sclerophyll/tropical rainforest boundary." Pacific Conservation Biology 3, no. 3 (1997): 213. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc970213.

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Changes in fire regime have been identified as the cause of the loss of nearly 50% of wet sclerophyll forest in north Queensland in the last 50 years. In the absence of fire, rainforest invades and eventually eliminates the specialized wet sclerophyll forest biota. Bird populations and foraging behaviour were monitored in areas selected to encompass both recent and advanced rainforest invasion. Foraging guilds are discussed in relation to increasing rainforest biomass. Some species, such as the Pale Yellow Robin Tregallasia capito nana were advantaged by the expansion of rainforest. Other species, such as the Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis showed no significant response, whereas the endemic subspecies of the Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis magnirostris was clearly disadvantaged. The latter species is of particular concern because in north-east Queensland it is dependent upon wet areas adjacent to rainforest and requires open ground in which to forage. Over the longer term the White-naped Melithreptus lunatus and White-cheeked Phylidonyris nigra Honeyeaters are also threatened by habitat loss. These honeyeaters favour the wetter areas adjacent to the rainforest which are gradually being lost to the invasive process. To maximize biological diversity in the wet tropics of north Queensland, it is necessary to maintain the full spectrum of natural habitats. Fire management is therefore required to maintain the wet sclerophyll forest and its dependent fauna.

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ARMSTRONG, DOUG P. "Nectar depletion and its implications for honeyeaters in heathland near Sydney." Austral Ecology 16, no. 1 (March 1991): 99–109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1991.tb01485.x.

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Journal articles on the topic 'Honeyeaters'

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