Lichenostomus versicolor
Varied Honeyeater
Other common names: Yellow-streaked Honeyeater
Taxonomy: Ptilotis versicolor Gould, 1843, Cape York Peninsula, north-east Queensland, Australia.
Nominate race has top of head and neck olive finely streaked darker, with dark grey forehead, dark mask, bordered below by conspicuous yellow stripe, and with large dirty white patch on lower side of neck, upperbody olive with diffuse brown mottling, merging into brownish on rump and uppertail/coverts, latter mottled olive, tail brownish/olive with olive green side, uperwing brown, with olive margins of coverts, edges of secondaries and primaries, largely yellow below, with strong olive-green streaking.
Not Threatened
Nominate race has top of head and neck olive finely streaked darker, with dark grey forehead, dark mask, bordered below by conspicuous yellow stripe, and with large dirty white patch on lower side of neck, upper body olive with diffuse brown mottling, merging into brownish on rump and uppertail/coverts, latter mottled olive, tail brownish/olive with olive green side, upperwing brown, with olive margins of coverts, edges of secondaries and primaries, largely yellow below, with strong olive-green streaking, vent cream, undertail olive grey, underwing creamy buff with olive-grey trailing edge and tips. Iris dark red/brown or blackish brown, bill black, legs blue grey to dark grey. Sexes alike in plumage, and male slightly larger than female. Juvenile is much laper and plainer than adult, top of head slightly paler and unstreaked, upper body light brown and largely streaked grayishbrown, bill grey-black with dull pink base of lower mandible, gape yellow to orange-yellow and swollen.
19-24 cm, one male 35.5 g, and two females 32.5 and 33g
Taxonomy: Ptilotis versicolor Gould, 1843, Cape York Peninsula, north-east Queensland, Australia.
Forms a superspecies with L. virescens and L. fasciogularis. Previously considered conspecific with former; has sometimes been considered conspecific with latter, with which it apparently hybridizes to limited extent in S of range (near Townsville). In New Guinea, other proposed races are intermedius (originally described from Samarai I, off SE coast) and vulgaris (described from Finschhafen, in Huon Peninsula), both synonymized with sonoroides but perhaps worthy of recognition; further study required. Two subspecies currently recognized.
(source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * sonoroides (G. R. Gray, 1862) - West Papuan Is (Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, Schildpad, Misool), and patchily coastal N New Guinea from Vogelkop E (including cities of Lae and Madang) to Milne Bay, and associated offshore islands of Yapen (in Geelvink Bay), Fergusson (in D’Entrecasteaux Is) and other islands off SE peninsula (including Killerton, Samarai and Doini). * versicolor (Gould, 1843) - coastal S New Guinea from Merauke E (including some islands, e.g. Wallai I) at least to Port Moresby and probably farther (to Milne Bay); islands of Torres Strait (including Boigu, Saibai, Daru, Yam and Possession); and NE Australia S in coastal NE Queensland (including islands of Great Barrier Reef) to Townsville.
In PNG coconut plantations and groves, mangroves, coastal vegetation, and gardens around houses, and in
villages and towns. Often on offshore islands. Couastal lowlands, exceptionally, recorded at 700 m at Wanuma.
Nectar and insect, said to take some crustaceans from mud at low tide. Forages by gleaning and probing in outer foliage of mangroves and other trees, and among lower aerial roots and trunks of mangroves. Often probes flowers, including flowering mangrowes, coconut palms, and exotic gardens. Seen also to search fro prey on spider webs inside buildings. Noisy parties up to 15 birds.
Poorly known in New Guinea, with unspecified nesting in Jun, laying in Jan, nestling mar and Jul, and juvenile mid-Feb.