Yellow-faced Honeyeater

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops) is a medium-small bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It takes both its common name and scientific name from the distinctive yellow stripes on the sides of its head. It has a loud clear call, and is one the first birds heard in the morning. It is widespread across eastern and south eastern Australia, in open sclerophyll forests from coastal dunes to high-altitude subalpine areas, and woodlands along creeks and rivers. Comparatively short-billed for a honeyeater, it is thought to have adapted for a diet of flies, spiders and beetles, as well as nectar and pollen from the flowers of plants such as Banksia and Grevillea, and soft fruits. It catches insects in flight as well as gleaning them from the foliage of trees and shrubs.

While some Yellow-faced Honeyeaters are sedentary, hundreds of thousands of them migrate northwards between March and May to spend the winter in southern Queensland and return in July and August to breed in southern New South Wales and Victoria. They form socially monogamous pairs and lay two or three eggs in a delicate cup-shaped nest. While the success rate can be low, the pairs nest several times during the breeding season.

Honeyeaters’ preferred woodland habitat is vulnerable to the effects of land clearing, grazing and weeds. However, as it is common and widespread, the Yellow-faced Honeyeater is considered of Least Concern for conservation. It is considered a pest in orchards in some areas.