Lichmera indistincta
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The brown honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It belongs to the honeyeaters, a group of birds which have highly developed brush-tipped tongues adapted for nectar feeding. Honeyeaters are found mainly in Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia, but the brown honeyeater is unique in that it also occurs on the island of Bali, making it the only honeyeater to be found west of the Wallace Line, the biogeographical boundary between the Australian-Papuan and Oriental zoogeographical regions.
It is a medium-small brownish bird, with yellow-olive panels in the tail and wing, and a yellow tuft behind the eye. It is widespread across western, northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea and surrounding islands, and the Lesser Sundas of Indonesia. Throughout this range, the brown honeyeater occupies a range of habitats from mangroves to eucalypt woodlands. It is seasonally nomadic within its local area, following flowering food plants. While it usually forages alone, it also feeds in small groups, or flocks of mixed honeyeater species. Nectar and insects form its diet. It occupies the same breeding territory each year, and lays two or three eggs in a cup-shaped nest woven from grass and soft bark. Both sexes contribute to nest building and feeding the young. It has a loud, clear, musical song, described as the best of all the honeyeaters.
While the brown honeyeater is declining in some areas, such as the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, overall its population levels and distribution are sufficient to have it described by the IUCN as being of least concern for conservation. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Honeyeater sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 7,911 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 17th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to September
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Honeyeater in Brisbane on a given day, against about 40% in November to April, the lowest months. Those are among Brisbane's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 160 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown Honeyeater sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Brown Honeyeater sightings, Brisbane ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, about 60%).
Same family: Meliphagidae
The closest relatives of the Brown Honeyeater that you can see in Brisbane (family Meliphagidae, Honeyeaters) are Noisy Miner (about 90%), Blue-faced Honeyeater (about 50%) and Lewin's Honeyeater (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown Honeyeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Brisbane (7,911 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
