Striped Honeyeater

1. Bold black and white stripes on the head and neck

2. Clean white underparts with long, pointed throat feathers

3. Short, sharply pointed bill suited for insect feeding

Although classified as a honeyeater, the Striped Honeyeater primarily feeds on insects and spiders, but also eats nectar, seeds, berries, and fruit. Its short, pointed bill is well-suited for probing crevices and gleaning insects from foliage. These birds usually forage in pairs or small groups, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Notably, they are one of the few honeyeaters observed using their feet to hold prey while feeding, a behaviour more typical of parrots. Breeding occurs from August to January, with both parents sharing incubation and care of the young. The nest is a deep, cup-shaped structure, often suspended from the end of drooping branches and sometimes decorated with feathers, including emu feathers. Cooperative breeding with a third adult helper has occasionally been recorded.

Striped Honeyeaters are widespread in eastern Australia, mainly inland from central and southeast Queensland through inland New South Wales to northwestern Victoria and southeastern South Australia. They inhabit a range of environments including open eucalypt woodlands, mallee, casuarina and cypress pine forests, riparian woodlands, mangroves, and even urban parks and gardens. Despite their bold appearance, these birds can be secretive and are often detected by their loud, melodious warbling calls, especially at dawn.