Blue-faced Honeyeater
McCormick Bird House
Did You Know?
- Honeyeaters have long tongues with brush-like tips. They use these to retrieve nectar from flowers.
- These birds are known as “banana birds” in their native range because of their diet. In fact, they are important pollinators. However, they also eat a lot of insects.
- Blue-faced honeyeaters are cooperative breeders. This means that immature birds help the main breeding pair to feed chicks.
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Overview
Scientific Name: Entomyzon cyanotis
Class: Birds
Diet: Banana fruit, flowers, bugs, pollen, berries
Range: Australia, New Guinea
Endangered Status: Least Concern
More Information
Blue-faced honeyeaters get their name from the vibrant blue markings that surround their eyes. Their faces are black—the same color as their breast and neck—and they have a white stomach and mustard-colored markings on their wings and back. Their tails are square-shaped.
These social birds form extended family groups that include close relatives, including offspring of various ages. They are also found in pairs. They breed between June and January. Blue-faced honeyeaters modify and use abandoned nests of other birds, laying two or three eggs and incubating them for just over two weeks. Their young fledge at three or four weeks old.
