Myzomela obscura
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The dusky myzomela or dusky honeyeater (Myzomela obscura) is a small, brown bird that is a common resident of the Aru Islands, southern New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia, where there are two separated populations, one in the Top End, another from Cape York Peninsula along the east coast as far south as the New South Wales border, though the species is rare south of Rockhampton. The Moluccan myzomela (M. simplex), red-tinged myzomela (M. rubrotincta), and Biak myzomela (M. rubrobrunnea) were formerly considered conspecific, but was split as distinct species by the IOC in 2021.
Around 12 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in) long, dusky myzomelas are dull-coloured but active and fast moving, often hovering to take insects or nectar from flowers in the upper storey. They inhabit a wide range of habitat types, including monsoonal forests and scrubs, woodlands, swamps and almost any area near water.
Dusky myzomelas tend to be sedentary in sufficiently attractive areas, nomadic or migratory in less attractive districts, particularly in the southern part of their range. Breeding takes place in the dry season (typically March to September). The dusky myzomela normally constructs a small, neat cup nest out of fine bark, spiderwebs, and leaves, on a well-hidden branch high over water. Its eggs are white with fine reddish spots. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Honeyeater sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 449 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 208 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Honeyeater in Daintree National Park on a given day, against about 10% in April, the lowest month. That is one of Daintree National Park's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain against 50 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dusky Honeyeater sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Dusky Honeyeater sightings, Daintree National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 40%), Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 40%) and Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dusky Honeyeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Daintree National Park (449 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
