Black-chinned Honeyeater (Melithreptus gularis) [XC372852]
by Greg McLachlan from Werakata State Conservation Area (Pelton), New South Wales, Australia (call, song)
Black-chinned Honeyeater (Melithreptus gularis) [XC757091]
by Andrew Galbraith from Semaphore Park, City of Charles Sturt, South Australia, Australia (song)
Nest
Fragile cup composed of bark-shreds, grass, plant-fiber, wool, cobweb, lined with hair or fur, slung from the high up, outer foliage.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 3; salmon-pink, sparingly spotted with rich chestnut, red-brown, mainly at the larger end; oval; about 22 x 16 mm. Incubation: probably 14 - 15 days.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 13 - 14 days.
Subspecies
Black-chinned Honeyeater (Melithreptus gularis) and Golden-backed Honeyeater (Melithreptus laetior) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Melithreptus gularis following Christidis and Boles (1994). Some consider the subspecies laetior ('Golden-backed Honeyeater'), to be a full species.
Forms a superspecies with Strong-billed Honeyeater (Melithreptus validirostris). Subspecies laetior often treated as a separate species, but there is intergradation with nominate over broad zone in eastern Australia (Queensland south to north-central New South Wales).
Additional proposed subspecies are normantoniensis (from Normanton, in north-western Queensland) and carpentarianus (Homestead, on Campaspe R, in eastern Queensland), both regarded as intergrades, and parus (Exmouth Gulf, in Western Australia), synonymized with laetior.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
gularis (Gould, 1837) - Northern and eastern Queensland (from southern Cape York Peninsula) south to northern foothills of Great Divide in northern and north-central Victoria; south-eastern South Australia (Fleurieu Peninsula and southern Mt Lofty Ranges).
laetior Gould, 1875 - Western and northern western Australia east to north-western and northern Queensland (around southern and eastern Gulf of Carpentaria and southern Cape York Peninsula), thence south to north-central New South Wales. Considered by some authors to be a. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Golden-backed Honeyeater (Melithreptus laetior).
Similar Species
White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis) which has a pure white throat and underparts. Calls also differ.
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
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet