Painted Honeyeater

["Julie Hotchin via Canberrabirds " <>]

Thanks for this information, Geoffrey.

The recovery plan presents a useful overview. I'm grateful, too, for the reminder that the birds once regularly turned up at the casuarinas at Uriarra Crossing. A shame that the plaque no longer exists - it was a nice touch to mention the importance of the site for this nomadic species.

Julie

On Mon, 19 Oct 2026 at 09:21, Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:

Males arrive a few weeks before females, and select potential nesting territories.  There is further useful information in the recovery plan, mentioning climate change and Noisy Miners.   This document is quite readable, I think -

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/recovery-plan-painted-honeyeater.pdf   I have a copy of the PhD dissertation by Laurence Barea, whom I met at Binya SF, famous annual haunt of this honeyeater.  Level of conservation concern has recently been downgraded.

 

This species had  a kind of monument to its nesting site fidelity.  Among Canberrans, it had a reputation for returning to the mistletoes on the casuarinas at Uriarra Crossing. An elaborate little plaque was erected there to convey this information to the visiting public. The plaque was destroyed in fires, in 2003, I think.  Painted Honeyeaters are still seen there occasionally.   I remember an attempted nesting a few years ago a bit further downstream.  I may be wrong but I think that particular mistletoe species is the one that  supports the nectar-feeding Regent Honeyeaters at Capertee Valley.  There is an excellent book on Australian mistletoes by Dave Watson.

 

From: Julie Hotchin <>
Sent: Sunday, 18 October 2026 12:39 PM
To: Geoffrey Dabb <>
Cc: Canberrabirds <>
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Painted Honeyeater

 

Thanks for these images of the nesting Painted Honeyeaters, Geoffrey, and for the insights into the unique way they spread mistletoe berries. It's good to learn a little more about these rare visitors to our region.

 

I have a question about the geographical movements of this species that you - or others on this list - may be able to shed some light on. I'm intrigued by the fact that this year they returned to the same gracious, large old yellow box in Campbell Park where they were recorded in October and November 2020. Do we know anything about their site-fidelity? Or, is the popularity of this old tree more likely to be a coincidence as the birds are attracted to a site with suitable large Among rainfall might affect their movements, or is the search for mistletoe the determining factor? Which then begs the question about how rainfall affects mistletoe fruiting . . .

 

I welcome any thoughts about this.

 

Cheers,

 

Julie

 

On Sat, 17 Oct 2026 at 10:56, Geoffrey Dabb via Canberrabirds <> wrote:

I found some primitive video of the successful nesting here in 2002.  This was obtained for a little video project about the theory that the Painted Honeyeater was an important spreader of mistletoe in Gondwana before the arrival of the Mistletoebird.  The point was that the adults need a special ability to make use of mistletoe berries as food for the young, because of the long sticky threads of excreted berries.  The shortlegged Mistletoebird has a different technique related to different nest construction, perhaps different digestive process.  In 2002 young were fed insects in first few days including small cicadas.  After leaving nest young remained here for only one day before the family moved off.

 

 

 

 

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