Gilbert's Honeyeater Melithreptus chloropsis Scientific name definitions

10·5–15·5 cm; two males 15–16 g. Compared to formerly conspecific <em>M. lunatus</em> , adult is slightly larger (with significantly longer bill and tarsus), and arc of bare skin over eye chalky white, sometimes faintly tinged pale blue or green-blue (not red). Juvenile/immature has same bare skin pale blue or tinged pale green.

SW Western Australia (N to Swan R Plain and Wheatbelt in W).

Mainly in open forests and woodlands, dominated by jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata, marri (E. marginata) or karri (E. diversicolor), as well as in flooded gum (E. rudis), narrow-leaved paperbark (Melaleuca parviflora) and Casuarina, with patchy or moderately well-developed understorey of shrubs; also mallee associations, tall wet sclerophyll forest, often with well-developed understorey of Acacia, riparian or gallery woodland, or low heathy woodland and wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) forest.

Resident and sedentary, with local movements (often described as locally nomadic), although these populations often subject to some regular seasonal influx and exodus movements, e.g. Swan Coastal Plain (where formerly resident) now a non-breeding visitor between late Mar and early Oct, and at Moora is often common in winter but rarely seen in summer. Once recorded as far N as Tardun.

Arthropods (mainly insects, e.g. Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera and Hymenoptera, also some spiders) and nectar (including of Eucalyptus, Banksia, Grevillea); occasionally manna, honeydew and lerp. Forages at all heights, mainly in canopy, mostly in trees (particularly Eucalyptus), less often in shrubs (including Banksia, Grevillea, Callistemon, Astroloma) or mistletoe (e.g. Lysiana, Amyema); searches mainly in foliage, particularly outer foliage, on twigs and flowers in crowns of tall eucalypts, but often searches for insects under bark; occasionally on ground. Mean foraging height at one site 7·7 m (91% above 5 m). All foraging in foliage at one site, but at two other sites most foraging on branches and trunks (less than 40% of observations involved foliage). Insects taken by gleaning from foliage or probing bark, and occasionally by sallying; probes flowers for nectar with rapid circular motion. Often acrobatic, sometimes standing erect or hanging upside-down. Forages singly, in pairs, or in small loose flocks of 12 or more individuals, but can gather in larger numbers in areas with abundant flowering plants. Often forages with other meliphagids, including M. brevirostris and Caligavis chrysops; can be aggressive to other foliage-gleaners.

Clearly similar to vocalizations of formerly conspecific M. lunatus, with calls  including a repeated whistle, a fast repeated whistle (apparently undocumented in M. lunatus), and a short series of grating calls, with the evidence to date revealing that all documented vocalizations of present species are higher-pitched than those of M. lunatus (see Taxonomy).

Season Sept–Feb, with records of eggs and nestlings in Sept–Oct, but young in nest also recorded in Dec and Feb, suggesting double-brooding, as is known for M. lunatus. Regularly breeds co-operatively and semi-colonially, but also nests solitarily. Nest probably built by female alone, sometimes accompanied by other birds, open and cup-shaped or purse-shaped, sometimes deep, usually woven from grass, bark or spider web, sometimes with feathers, moss, plant down, lichen or leaves matted into structure, lined with plant down, fine grass, rootlets, small leaves, feathers, hair, fur, bark, wool or moss, sometimes unlined; usually suspended by rim among outer foliage high above ground, sometimes in low branches, usually in tree or sapling (especially Eucalyptus) up to 40 m above ground. Clutch 2–3 eggs; incubation probably by female only, period c. 14 days; chicks fed by both sexes, and by auxiliaries if present, nestling period also c. 14 days at one nest. No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Reasonably common. No estimates of total population but local declines have been reported in Wheatbelt, where numbers around Kellerberrin decreased in 1960s and species is no longer recorded in this region, while on W Swan Coastal Plain population has also declined. Nevertheless, overall the population is believed to be stable.