Melithreptus affinis
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The black-headed honeyeater (Melithreptus affinis) is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is one of two members of the genus Melithreptus endemic to Tasmania. Its natural habitats are temperate forest and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. Despite its name, the black-headed honeyeater eats predominantly insects.
The black-headed honeyeater was described in 1839 as Eidopsarus affinis. John Gould described it as Melithreptus melanocephalus in 1844, likely unaware of its earlier name. Molecular studies show that the black-headed honeyeater is most closely related to the white-naped honeyeater, and that their next closest relative is Gilbert's honeyeater. All are members of the genus Melithreptus, with several species of similar size and (apart from the brown-headed honeyeater) black-headed appearance, in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. The next closest relative outside the genus is the much larger, but similarly marked, blue-faced honeyeater. More recently, DNA analysis has shown honeyeaters to be related to the Pardalotidae (pardalotes), Acanthizidae (Australian warblers, scrubwrens, thornbills, etc.), and the Maluridae (Australian fairywrens) in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hobart | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Honeyeater sighting in Maria Island National Park on a given day, based on 254 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 81 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.
May and September
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Honeyeater in Maria Island National Park on a given day, against about 50% in February and July–August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed 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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Black-headed Honeyeater sightings, Maria Island National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Freycinet National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Honeyeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Maria Island National Park (254 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.
