White-streaked Honeyeater Trichodere cockerelli Scientific name definitions

14–17 cm; male 14–20 g, female 12–13·5 g. Has top and side of head grey, heavily speckled paler grey on lores, around eye and on anterior ear-coverts, with prominent bright yellow tuft on rear ear-coverts, and short bright yellow moustachial stripe extending back from patch of bright blue-grey skin at gape; gorget of lanceolate feathers on chin, throat and upper breast largely white, finely streaked grey-brown, more broadly on breast; hindneck, side of neck and upperbody dark brown, diffusely streaked black; uppertail black-brown with fine olive-yellow edges; upperwing largely black-brown, short white wingbar across tips of median secondary coverts, bold greenish-yellow edges and whitish tips on greater coverts, narrow greenish-yellow fringes on tertials and broad greenish-yellow edges on secondaries and primaries (prominent panel on folded wing); underbody below gorget white, some bright yellow streaks at side of upper breast, and scattered brown spots and streaks on lower breast grading to more diffuse brown streaking on flanks and undertail-coverts; undertail dark grey; underwing pink-buff, merging to dark grey trailing edge and tip; iris red-brown, orbital ring light grey; bill black, pale blue-grey base and gape; legs blue-grey. Sexes alike. Juvenile is like adult but ear-tuft smaller, moustachial stripe reduced to a few yellow streaks, lacks obvious gorget (feathers not lanceolate), chin to upper breast appear pale yellowish with brownish streaking, upperparts warmer brown and only faintly streaked, upperwing browner, reduced median wingbar but contrastingly blackish primary coverts, underbody duller, off-white (yellow wash on some) and less coarsely and more sparsely marked, iris dark brown, orbital ring dark grey, bill dark grey with pale grey base but pale grey to cream gape, and legs darker grey; immature like adult but gorget pale yellow (not white), and retains some brownish juvenile plumage in upperbody and upperwing-coverts.

NE Queensland (Cape York Peninsula S to Aurukun in W, and in E extending farther S along coast to Cooktown and Shiptons Flat), in NE Australia.

Mainly tropical dry open forests and woodlands dominated by eucalypts, sometimes mixed with paperbarks (Melaleuca), Lophostemon or Banksia, and with understorey varying from open and grassy to dense and shrubby; also tropical heathland, e.g. of tropical banksia (Banksia dentata). Sometimes found in paperbark woodlands, including swamp-woodland; occasionally in or at edges of rainforest or mangroves. From riparian flats and coastal foredunes to slopes and escarpments of sandstone ranges.

Apparently resident, with local movements (described as locally nomadic), probably in response to flowering of trees; thought to move locally between forests and adjacent clearings. Vagrants occasionally recorded W of main range in S.

Mainly nectar; also arthropods (insects). Forages in crowns of low flowering trees or in shrubs (including Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Lophostemon suaveolens, Banksia, Grevillea), among foliage and branches; sometimes in flowering mistletoes (Loranthaceae). Nectar taken directly from flowers, as are some small insects, by probing and gleaning; occasional sallies for flying insects. Seen to forage with many other species, mainly other honeyeaters (of at least six species), also with Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis).

Calls loud. Main call said to be a series of rapid staccato notes or a rattle (like sound of machine-gun); also utters loud scolding notes or a metallic scolding “churrr”. Song a clear, sharp whistle or a liquid, high-pitched somewhat metallic whistle of 4 notes, “blink-blink-blink-blink”. Other calls include drumming noise like sound made by string being twanged on wooden box.

Not well known. Breeding recorded in wet season, with eggs in Jan and fledglings Jan and Apr, and in dry season, with unspecified breeding Apr–Jun, possibly Jul; may nest at any time when conditions suitable. Possibly nests in small groups, e.g. of 3–4 or up to ten active nests, timing possibly synchronous within groups. Nest a frail, deep and rather open cup made of interwoven fine grass, rootlets or plant fibres, bound with spider web, lined with fine grass, one nest had external diameter 7 cm, depth 7·6 cm, internal diameter 3·8 cm, depth 5·1 cm; either suspended by rim or supported on horizontal, terminal branchlets or, less often, in fork, usually poorly concealed, 0·45–2 m (mean 0·76 m) above ground in low open shrub or tree, once in tangle of vines running over ground; often at edge of swamp or bank of watercourse, sometimes above water. Clutch said to be always 2 eggs, but no quantitative data; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

Not globally threatened. Restrictedrange species: present in Cape York EBA. Fairly common; no measures of abundance.