Endemic Tasmanian Birds

The strong-billed honeyeater is an uncommon species which can be particularly difficult to find and identify in thick, wet forest. The strong-bill is especially interesting for both resident and visiting birders because it is a perfect example of what is termed convergent evolution in birds. Although the species belongs to the honeyeater family – and still retains the honeyeater brush-tipped tongue for extracting pollen and nectar from flowers – it has switched over time … [Read more...] about Strong-billed honeyeater

Black-headed honeyeaters often go unnoticed but their song is the background music of the more leafier Hobart suburbs and on the lower slopes of kunanyi/Mt Wellington. It’s a gentle, incessant piping heard from dawn to dusk. Out of Tasmania’s four endemic honeyeater species the black-headed honeyeater is generally considered the least interesting and dramatic. It is not showy and flashy like some of the others, and goes about its honeyeater business in industrious fashion. … [Read more...] about Black-headed honeyeater

Stand within the nesting territory of yellow-throated honeyeaters in spring and chances are you’ll be in for a shock. The female of the species is known to steal animal hair to line her nest and it is not unknown for yellow-throated honeyeaters to pluck the hair of humans, although they usually prefer the less tricky option of finding discarded wallaby or possum fur. Tasmania’s endemic species are known for their quirkiness, their strange habits and calls, wild and … [Read more...] about Yellow-throated honeyeater

The yellow wattlebird is one of those species like the dusky robin and the Tasmanian scrubwren which peppers the long and winding road to Tasmania’s modern, settler history. The wattlebird appears prominently in the historical record, not so much as a curiosity but for its large size and diet of native fruits and berries which made it a popular game bird. This largest member of the Australian honeyeater family was shot for the pot during hard times experienced by the … [Read more...] about Yellow wattlebird