Hi all,
Sorry for the late input on this. I have to agree with Lloyd that this is a
Graceful Honeyeater. The visible characters that distinguish it from
Yellow-spotted are (in approx. order of usefulness):
* orange-yellow gape flange (skin) contrasting with yellow gape stripe
(feathers) and earspot (all same colour in Y-S)
* diffuse yellow belly stripe (no stripe in Y-S, only diffuse wash of yellow
with no pattern)
* upright stance, slender body and subtle neck (horizontal, crouching stance,
awkward bulging chest and obvious neck indent in Y-S)
* decurved lower mandible (straight in Y-S)
* clean and tidy grey underparts (shaggy rather than streaked in Y-S)
You can't see the diagnostic buff chin in the photo.
The earspot shape is not so good as it can change when the feathers are raised
(i.e. when alert) or during moult
In the field, calls are the best character.
I presume that Lloyd meant Lewin's (not Graceful) "has a dark navy-blue eye in
adults". It is always brown in Graceful; the only ageing character I know is
the softness of the juvenile feathers.
Anyone who wants to know more about identifying these birds (incl. descriptions
of calls and accurate distribution) can refer to my (apparently
obscure?) ID paper in Wingspan nearly twenty years ago:
James, D.J. 1995. Identification: Honeyeaters with Yellow Ear-spots. Wingspan
5(3): 34-7.
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