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Species of bird From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The fuscous honeyeater (Ptilotula fusca) is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to eastern Australia, where it inhabits subtropical and tropical dry forests.
Fuscous honeyeater | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Meliphagidae |
Genus: | Ptilotula |
Species: | P. fusca |
Binomial name | |
Ptilotula fusca (Gould, 1837) | |
Synonyms | |
Lichenostomus fuscus |
The fuscous honeyeater was previously placed in the genus Lichenostomus, but was moved to Ptilotula after a molecular phylogenetic analysis, published in 2011, showed that the original genus was polyphyletic.[2][3]
The fuscous honeyeater is dull grey-brown to olive-brown above with buffy-grey underparts. The bill is black and the eye-ring dark. It has a small black and yellow plume formed by the rear edge of the ear coverts.[4]
Similar species include grey-fronted honeyeater, yellow-plumed honeyeater and white-plumed honeyeater.[5][6]
They have numerous calls, notably a distinctive rollicking arig arig a taw taw, a clear flutey cheer tor cheer and an incessant chip contact call.[7]
Fuscous honeyeaters live in colonies in dry eucalypt forest and woodland, mostly inland of the Great Dividing Range, but in New South Wales and Queensland also in coastal heathy forest.[7] They are sometimes also found in gardens, and in patches of remnant forest on farms.[5]
They are mostly sedentary, though will make some nomadic movements in response to drought and flowering of eucalypts.[6] In the southeast of their range, they make some seasonal altitudinal movements, moving down from higher regions in during colder months.[5][7]
Fuscous honeyeaters are mainly insectivorous, foraging actively mainly in outer and upper foliage, branches and trunks of eucalypts, and taking insects on the wing.[6] They also feed opportunistically on nectar,[7] including from eucalypts and mistletoes, lerp and honeydew.[6]
The species is listed under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as a species of Least Concern.[1]
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