Brown Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

Lichmera indistincta

Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Denpasar

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

10 Verified sightings at Denpasar
1,644 In all 14 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Brown Honeyeater

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 →

Sounds

Call0:07

Australia · 2024

© Tom Cooney · XC1103325 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:09

Australia · 2025

© Peter Boesman · XC1066625 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Dawn song1:05

Australia · 2023

© James Lambert · XC791441 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~60%
2 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
3 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
4 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
5 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
6 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
7 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
8 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
9 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
10 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
11 Rottnest Island 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
12 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
13 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
14 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Perth 🇦🇺 Australia
~60%
2 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
~50%
3 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
4 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
5 Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Brown Honeyeater in Denpasar?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Honeyeater sighting in Denpasar on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 88th most-seen of the 109 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Brown Honeyeater in Denpasar?

March

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Honeyeater in Denpasar on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months. That is one of Denpasar's wettest months, with about 200 mm of rain against 25 mm in August.

What time of day is best to see a Brown Honeyeater?

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.

Is Denpasar the best place to see a Brown Honeyeater?

5th of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Brown Honeyeater sightings, Denpasar ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, about 60%), Brisbane (Australia, about 50%) and Jakarta (Indonesia, about 20%).

Where does the Brown Honeyeater sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Brown Honeyeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Denpasar (10 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.

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