A stunning yellow and black-feathered songbird from Australia, the Regent Honeyeater is sadly one of our most highly endangered bird species. Known for its delightfully sweet, flute-like call and ability to mimic its relatives when needed, our country is now desperate and working hard to keep their precious existence from disappearing altogether. If you want to learn more about them, we have listed below a range of facts about the Regent Honeyeater for kids.
Fun Regent Honeyeater Facts for Kids
- Regent Honeyeaters are a critically endangered bird species in Australia.
- Regent Honeyeaters are a striking bird. Although they have a shiny black head, neck and upper breast, their back, tail and undercarriage are all flecked with bright yellow feathers.
- Regent Honeyeaters grow to about 20-24cm long and have a wingspan of 30cm.
- The Regent Honeyeater was once known as the ‘‘Warty-faced Honeyeater’ due to the warty bare skin around its eye.
- Female Regent Honeyeaters are a little smaller than males. They usually only weigh about 39 grams as an adult, while the males can weigh up to 45 grams.
- Regent Honeyeaters are master nest builders! They create an intricate nest with eucalypt bark strips forming the outside cup shape, cobwebs holding it in tight, and a lining of fine dried grass inside it.
- Regent Honeyeaters lay 2-3 eggs at a time.
- Regent Honeyeaters lay very pretty eggs! They are speckled purple-red, with violet-grey markings.
- Regent Honeyeaters are omnivores. They are predominantly nectar feeders but also eat small insects, bugs, and spiders.
- Regent Honeyeater fledglings are fed up to 29 times an hour by their parents!
- In winter, some Regent Honeyeaters mimic the call of wattlebirds and friarbirds. They are the only species of bird that mimic close relative species.
- The Regent Honeyeater song is a quiet, flute-like sound.
- When many Regent Honeyeaters are sharing the same tree they act in a funny way! They bob and stretch their necks and squabble between themselves.
- Regent Honeyeaters live for about 10 years in the wild.
The Regent Honeyeater’s diet and habitat
Although they were once more widespread, the Regent Honeyeater is now found mainly in Victoria and NSW. They live in eucalypt forests and woodlands and are often seen in blossoming trees, mistletoe, orchards and urban gardens.
The Regent Honeyeater is an omnivore and feeds predominantly on the nectar of Eucalypt, but also enjoys fruit, small insects, spiders and Lerp (a small bug that lives on gum leaves). Although their distribution is sporadic, they can fly long distances to follow the flowering of favoured plant species.
The Regent Honeyeater’s Song
The Regent Honeyeater has a beautifully melodic, flute-like and relatively quiet song compared to many others. However, there are some regional variations between their songs because many of them move around and also, their declining numbers, many of the young are not learning their unique calls.
For this reason, during the Winter periods, many isolated Regent Honeyeaters have been found to mimic the calls of wattlebirds and friarbirds. They are actually the only bird species that mimic their close relatives’ calls if needed.
Here is a video of a Regent Honeyeater so you can hear what they sound like
Life Cycle of a Regent Honeyeater
The Regent Honeyeater has a breeding season from August to January. This appears to correspond with the flowering of key eucalyptus and mistletoe species.
Female Regent Honeyeaters lay 2-3 eggs into their cleverly-created cup-shaped nests. Built from eucalypt bark, spiderwebs and fine, dried grass that they have collected, they are usually created in the fork of a tree anywhere from 1 – 20 metres from the ground.
After 14 days, the eggs will hatch; interestingly, more males than females are usually born. Unfortunately, the survival rate of their eggs and nestlings is low due to predators such as sugar gliders (that love to feed on their eggs) and magpies and pied currawong (which feed on the nestlings).
The male is loyal to his mate, staying with them for the entire breeding season, helping feed the chicks when they are born, and always in a nearby tree to keep an eye on them. Once the chicks hatch, they will be brooded by both parents and fed regularly until they fledge at 16 days old.
The Regent Honeyeater’s Conservation Status
Sadly, the number of Regent Honeyeaters has dramatically declined in recent decades, with their conservation status currently listed as ‘critically endangered’. This is due to many reasons, including the large levels on land clearing and the fierce competition they face from other more aggressive honeyeater breeds.
What is being done to help the Regent Honeyeater?
The Australian National Recovery Plan for the Regent Honeyeater is the result of close collaboration between the Australian Government and the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Team. Conservation efforts for this species in the wild are primarily focused on habitat protection and regeneration. Since 2008 there have been over 300 captive-bred Regent Honeyeaters released to the wild to help supplement wild populations.
Where can you find Regent Honeyeaters in Brisbane?
Although their declining population is mainly seen in Victoria and NSW, the Regent Honeyeater can be found in Brisbane too. Due to our high number of Eucalypt trees and depending on the weather conditions, they have been known to fly great distances to find their favoured plants. In recent years, they have been spotted at the Enoggera Dam, in Springfield and even on Fraser Island!
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