He was answering an additional question about silvereyes.  I should have 
started a new thread to avoid confusion.
On Tuesday, November 28, 2006 9:29 AM Tom Tarrant wrote:
 
Hi Dave,
Where have you seen taxonomy that suggests Wattlebirds are not
Honeyeaters?
Most classifications that I've come across put them in Meliphagidae,
I would be interested to see a different perspective.
Tom
On 11/28/06, Dave Torr <> wrote:
  No they are not honeyeaters - they do have a brush-tipped tongue
similar to
  honeyeaters (and quite a few other birds as well) but are not
classified in
  the Honeyeater family. Classification of birds (and indeed other
life forms)
  into "families" is part of a science called taxonomy, and different
  scientists (called taxonomists) have different views on how to
classify
  species and families - similar appearance and/or behaviour does not
  necessarily indicate the species are related in any way - just that
they
  have both evolved to perhaps feed on the same food source.
  On 28/11/06, Peter Shute (NUW) < > wrote:
  >
  > On Monday, November 27, 2006 3:01 PM Michael Ramsey wrote:
  >
  > > Wattlebirds are honeyeaters, they are part of the honeyeater or
  > > Meliphagidae family. Other birds with names that are not
honeyeater
  > > but are in the honeyeater family are chats, miners and
spinebills to
  > > name a few.
  >
  > What about silvereyes?  My reading suggests not, but my
observations led
  > me
  > to assume they were.
  >
  > Peter Shute
  >
  > ===============================
  > www.birding-aus.org
  > birding-aus.blogspot.com
  >
  > To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
  > send the message:
  > unsubscribe
  > (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
  > to: 
  > ===============================
  >
  ===============================
  www.birding-aus.org
  birding-aus.blogspot.com
  To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
  send the message:
  unsubscribe
  (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
  to: 
   =============================== 
 
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
 To unsubscribe from this mailing list, 
send the message:
unsubscribe 
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 
===============================
 
 |