Sedentary resident with plenty to sing about
THE crescent honeyeater is one of our lesser-known resident birds.
It may be found throughout the Otway Ranges, in both the tall timber, wet forests and the heathlands, but not elsewhere in our region.
Its mainland distribution is across the extreme southeastern corner of the continent, from near Sydney in a broad coastal sweep to Adelaide.
But it avoids the dry areas that are inland from the coastal ranges.
It is also found in Tasmania and on all the Bass Strait islands where suitable habitat occurs — indeed it was once known as the Tasmanian honeyeater.
That is the name used by Charles Belcher in his classic
Birds of the District of Geelong, Australia.
One feature of the crescent honeyeater is its voice, about which Belcher wrote: “I do not know any bird which has a louder voice for its size than the crescent or Tasmanian honeyeater; it suggests an excited tuning of high-pitched fiddles; and rings out startlingly in the dense gullies which are the home of the species.”
Later bird books describe the call in more moderate terms — a high-pitched “eejik!” writes
Graham Simpson “Egypt!”
But apart from its voice, the crescent honeyeater shares features with its well-known cousin, the New Holland honeyeater. Of similar size and shape, both have a conspicuous yellow wing-panel and yellow outer tail-feathers.
It gains its name from a black crescent across the nape of the neck and down on to the sides of the breast.
It is mainly
Pizzey, while Ken suggests a loud sedentary, rarely leaving the forest and heathlands where it lives.
It builds a rough, cupshaped nest, lined with soft material, rarely more than 2m above the ground.
We don’t expect to see the crescent honeyeater in our suburban gardens, but it is well known in the Otway towns. Wildlife information and questions can be sent to ppescott@gmail.com