Black-headed Honeyeater

1. Entirely black head with crisp edges and a blue-white patch above the eye.

2. Olive-green back and white underparts.

3. Juveniles have brown heads with a black eye-mask instead of a full black hood.

This honeyeater feeds primarily on insects and spiders, with nectar making up a smaller part of its diet. It specialises in foraging among tree foliage, rarely probing trunks like its relative, the strong-billed honeyeater. Black-headed Honeyeaters are often seen hanging upside down as they search for food in the canopy. They breed from September to February, building deep cup-shaped nests high in eucalypt foliage, often in loose colonies. Sometimes, older offspring help raise the young. After breeding, small family flocks may form`.`

The Black-headed Honeyeater is widespread across Tasmania, King Island, and the Furneaux Group, inhabiting wet and dry sclerophyll forests, coastal heaths, subalpine areas up to 1200 meters, and sometimes urban gardens. They are most often found high in the canopy but may forage lower outside the breeding season. Early mornings are ideal for observing their active feeding and calling. Flowering eucalypts often attract small groups, especially in winter when food is less abundant.