Melithreptus lunatus
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The white-naped honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus) is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to eastern Australia. Birds from southwestern Australia have been shown to be a distinct species, Gilbert's honeyeater, and the eastern birds are more closely related to the black-headed honeyeater of Tasmania. One of several similar species of black-headed honeyeaters in the genus Melithreptus, it dwells in dry sclerophyll eucalypt woodland. Its diet consists of nectar from various flowers, and it also feeds on insects.
The white-naped honeyeater was originally described as Certhia lunata by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1802. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin luna, meaning 'moon'; this refers to the crescent-shaped, white marking on its nape. It is a member 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...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Phillip Island Nature Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-naped Honeyeater sighting in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 87th most-seen of the 149 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, August and October–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-naped Honeyeater in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June–July and September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-naped Honeyeater sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate White-naped Honeyeater sightings, Phillip Island Nature Park ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Grampians National Park (Australia, about 30%), Great Otway National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Kosciuszko National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Meliphagidae
The closest relatives of the White-naped 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 White-naped Honeyeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Phillip Island Nature Park (115 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.
