White-naped Honeyeater

1. Bright orange-red bare skin above the eye.

2. White crescent band across the nape against a black cap.

3. Olive-green upperparts and white underparts.

White-naped Honeyeaters primarily feed on nectar from a variety of flowers, supplemented by insects, honeydew, lerp, and manna. They are acrobatic foragers, often seen flitting among flowers or probing under bark for insects. During the breeding season (July to December), they build small, open cup-shaped nests high in trees, usually eucalypts, using grass, bark, and spider web. Communal breeding occurs, with helpers assisting the parents, although only the female incubates the eggs. Breeding occurs in higher elevation forests of Southeast Australia including NSW, VIC and ACT. Migration to North and East towards lower elevation and coastal areas occurs in autumn. At least two broods may be raised in a season, and nests are sometimes parasitized by cuckoos.

White-naped Honeyeaters are found in eucalypt forests and woodlands throughout eastern and southeastern mainland Australia, from northern Queensland to eastern South Australia, with a separate population in southwestern Australia. They are most often seen foraging high in the canopy, especially in flowering eucalypts, and may also visit gardens near forests. These birds are partly migratory, with some populations forming large flocks that move along timbered ridges during autumn and winter.