Varied Honeyeater

1. Bold dark mask with a yellow stripe and small white tuft on the face

2. Bright yellow underparts with olive-green streaking

3. All-black bill contrasting with yellow throat

These honeyeaters primarily feed on nectar and insects, expertly foraging among mangrove flowers and foliage. They are also known to glean insects from spider webs and occasionally take small crustaceans from mudflats. Their breeding season in Australia is mainly during the dry season, with nests built as deep cups suspended from thin branches in mangroves, often over water. Varied Honeyeaters are highly social, often seen in noisy groups that move through the canopy together.

Varied Honeyeaters are most commonly encountered in coastal mangrove forests, estuaries, and islands along northern Australia-particularly in the eastern Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait-as well as in coastal New Guinea. They also venture into adjacent coastal vegetation, including paperbarks and casuarinas, and are known to visit parks and gardens in coastal towns. Their active, vocal presence makes them relatively easy to locate in suitable habitat, especially early in the morning or when groups gather at flowering trees.