Red-headed Myzomela (Myzomela erythrocephala) [XC644955]
by James Lambert from Charles Darwin University, Darwin Municipality, Northern Territory, Australia (?)
Red-headed Myzomela (Myzomela erythrocephala) [XC823050]
by id from Muirhead, City of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (call)
Nest
Small, cup-shaped, composed of thin strips of bark and rootlets, and sometimes horse-hair, lined with fine grass, usually placed at the tops of tall mangroves.
Eggs (Guide)
2, rarely 3; matt, white or cream, freckled and blotched with rust-brown or red, particularly at the larger end; oval; about 16 x 12 mm. Incubation: possibly by both sexes.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous.
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies, and sometimes treated as conspecific, with Sumba Myzomela (Myzomela dammermani) and Crimson-hooded Myzomela (Myzomela kuehni). All closely related to the Cardinal Myzomela (Myzomela cardinalis) superspecies. Subspecies intergrade in central and southern Torres Strait.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
erythrocephala Gould, 1840 - Islands of central and southern Torres Strait, and from northern western Australia (near Broome, in southern Kimberley Division) eastern along coast, including offshore islands and islets (such as Melville I and Sir Edward Pellew Group, in northern Territory), to northern Queensland (Cape York Peninsula southern on eastern coast to Princess Charlotte Bay).
infuscata Forbes, WA, 1879 - Aru Is, coastal southern New Guinea (Triton Bay east to Domara, east of Cape Rodney) and islands of Torres Strait.
dammermani Siebers, 1928 - Mangroves of Sumba (western Lesser Sundas). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Sumba Myzomela (Myzomela dammermani).
Similar Species
Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta) which has red extending down the breast and over the back, and has whiter underparts, and females and juveniles Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) which is somewhat larger, has a longer bill, and a longer tail.
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
(41Kb) © ? (
BirdLife International Species Factsheet