Gavicalis virescens
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Phillip Island Nature Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Singing Honeyeater sighting in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, based on 82 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 101st most-seen of the 149 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Singing Honeyeater in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, against under 5% in August–September and December–June, the lowest months.
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.
7th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Singing Honeyeater sightings, Phillip Island Nature Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Rottnest Island (Australia, about 70%), Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Australia, about 70%) and Cape Range (Australia, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Meliphagidae
The closest relatives of the Singing Honeyeater that you can see in Phillip Island Nature Park (family Meliphagidae, Honeyeaters) are Red Wattlebird (about 70%), Little Wattlebird (about 60%) and New Holland 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 Phillip Island Nature Park (82 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.
