Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Meliphaga notata Scientific name definitions

16·5–20 cm; male 23·3–33·5g and female 20·5–26·5 g (nominate), male 23–32·3 g and female 21–30 g (mixta). Nominate race has head and neck olive (forehead sometimes faintly darker than crown), grading to paler greyish-olive on chin and throat, with diffusely darker lores, prominent yellow spot on rear ear-coverts (rounded to diamond-shaped, but never cres­centic), yellow gape-flange (usually slightly brighter than ear-spot) meeting short pale yellow rictal streak to form prominent gape-stripe; upperparts dark olive, remiges and edges of tail slightly brighter yellow-olive; olive-grey below (slightly paler than upperparts), faint and diffuse darker streaking and faint yellowish mottling on underbody, diffuse straw-yellow patch on belly; undertail olive-grey, underwing pale grey; iris dark brown; bill black; legs dark grey, pink-brown or yellow-brown at rear tarsus, soles yellow-brown. Sexes alike in plumage, male larger than female. Juvenile apparently undescribed. Race <em>mixta</em> is very similar to nominate, but wing shorter, head, neck and most of upperparts slightly darker olive (olive of remiges contrasts less with upperparts), chin and throat duller, breast and belly darker with less distinct yellow mottling, smaller yellow suffusion on belly.

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Mainly lowland tropical rainforest, including monsoon forest and vine thickets at some sites. Also mangrove forests and woodlands, mixed woodlands and semi-deciduous dune-woodland; open eucalypt (Eucalyptus) forests and woodlands adjacent to rainforest, and riverine eucalypt forest with depauperate rainforest understorey; swamp-woodland of Melaleuca, Eucalyptus and Banksia; Lantana thickets, especially bordering wetlands or at edges of rainforest. On islands in Torres Strait sometimes in dense dry littoral scrub dominated by casuarina. Often in urban parks and gardens , and in orchards. Occasionally extends into semi-arid areas along rivers. Mainly lowlands and foothills below 600 m, less often in ranges and on tablelands above 600 m.

Apparently resident, with some local movements; occasionally visits top of Paluma Range, where usually at lower altitudes.

Nectar, fruit and insects. Usually forages in mid-canopy or in shrub layer, at 3–12 m. Searches at flowers and fruits of trees, vines and shrubs, and in foliage; sometimes enters sheds to feed on stored bananas. Probes flowers for nectar ; gleans insects from foliage or fruits, sally-hovers to take items from foliage, and sallies for aerial prey. Usually singly, in twos (probably pairs) and occasionally in small parties. Active, aggressive and confiding.

Most common call loud, petulant, high-pitched, staccato and descending, syllables slow and deliberate, earlier notes with somewhat disyllabic quality, “plisk plisk plisk twik twik twik…” or “ee-yeu, ee-yeu, ee-yeu, ear ear ear…”; usually 3–10 notes per call, often starting slowly and accelerating slightly. Other calls include monotonous repetition of “plick” 6–12 times at c. 2 notes per second, occasionally preceded by soft chattering “tritch tritch”; harsh scolding rasp or sharp “queak-queak-queak…” in alarm; series of loud ascending notes; repeated clear piercing whistle. Once heard to repeat “tok” slowly and monotonously at regular intervals for more than 15 minutes.

Season Aug–Apr. Nest a deep cup, usually of strips of bark and plant fibre and moss, sometimes covered with lichens or large pieces of Melaleuca bark, lined with plant down, external diameter 8·9–10·2 cm, depth 4·4–7·6 cm, internal diameter 6·4–7·6 cm, depth 3·8–5·1 cm, suspended from fork in branch 1·5–1·8 m (once 45 cm) above ground and usually well concealed among dense foliage of tree or shrub, often near water. Clutch usually 2 eggs, sometimes 3 (mean 2·04); incubation period c. 15 days, once 14 days; chicks fed by both parents, nestling period at one nest 14–15 days.

Not globally threatened. Restrictedrange species: present in Cape York EBA and in Queensland Wet Tropics EBA. No estimates of abundance; seems to be fairly common. Reported sighting at Wau, in SE New Guinea, considered dubious.