White-streaked Honeyeater

1. Messy, spiny white and yellow-tinged throat feathers

2. Bright yellow patches behind the eyes

3. Large yellow panels on the wings

White-streaked Honeyeaters primarily feed on nectar, using their specialized bills to probe flowers, but they also eat insects by gleaning from foliage or catching them in flight. They are social birds, often foraging in small groups and sometimes joining mixed flocks with other honeyeaters and sunbirds. Breeding is not well known but thought to occur in wet and dry seasons with eggs in January. Nests are typically delicate cups placed in low shrubs, sometimes near water.

This species inhabits tropical dry forests, woodlands, and heathlands across northern Cape York Peninsula, from Aurukun in the west to the Cooktown area in the east. They are most often seen foraging in the crowns of flowering eucalypts, paperbarks, and banksias, especially near watercourses and swamp edges. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to observe them, as their loud, distinctive calls often reveal their presence before they are seen.