Gavicalis virescens
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The singing honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens) is a small bird found in Australia, and is part of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. The bird lives in a wide range of shrubland, woodland, and coastal habitat. It is relatively common and is widespread right across Australia west of the Great Dividing Range, through to the west coast and on Western Australian coastal islands. It does not occur in other countries.
The singing honeyeater was originally described as Meliphaga virescens lipferti. It was previously placed in the genus Lichenostomus, but was moved to Gavicalis after a molecular phylogenetic analysis, published in 2011, showed that the original genus was polyphyletic. The generic name is formed from an anagram of the sister genus Caligavis; the specific epithet is the Latin virescens meaning 'greenish'.
Singing honeyeaters can vary in length from 17–22 cm (6.7–8.7 in). Their overall appearance is grey-brown. The tail and wings are olive-green with flashes of yellow. There is a broad, black stripe running from the behind the beak to the back, and a yellow streak immediately below this from the eye. The bird's song ranges from scratchy to melodious... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Singing Honeyeater sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 671 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 107th most-seen of the 236 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Singing Honeyeater in Melbourne on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Singing 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 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Singing Honeyeater sightings, Melbourne ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, about 70%).
Same family: Meliphagidae
The closest relatives of the Singing Honeyeater that you can see in Melbourne (family Meliphagidae, Honeyeaters) are Noisy Miner (about 80%), Red Wattlebird (about 70%) and White-plumed Honeyeater (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Singing Honeyeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Melbourne (671 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.
