first New Holland Honeyeater

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Sat, 10/08/2013 - 09:11

Araminta

first New Holland Honeyeater

They are sending the girls first to inspect my garden. There will be more to come. I hope

Sat, 10/08/2013 - 15:00

shoop

you can tell the difference between the girls and the boys ??????

Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.

Sat, 10/08/2013 - 16:16

Araminta

Absolutely shoop, I can.

All summer I have countless New Hollands in my garden, they also breed here. Easy for me to tell the difference , just like I can tell the difference between a male and a female Eastern Spinebill. The female of both is a great deal smaller and duller than the male bird. The colours of both are more brown, and the pattern a lot less prominent. Like almost all female animals, they have to blend in with the background when sitting on the nest and feeding young.

That is also the reason why the young almost always look like the female, and not as brightly coloured as the males.

Hope that answeres your question? If not I can find some photos of male birds just to demonstrate the difference. (It'll take me a bit of time to find some amongst my 26 ooo photos)

M-L

Mon, 12/08/2013 - 13:36

Araminta

I'm posting this photo of a male New Holland Honeyeater for shoop. I can't find one of both sexes next to each other, sorry. But you can see how much darker and stronger the colours in the male birds are. I think you might even notice that they are larger?

I do have a few juveniles, but the do look like the females.

M-L

Mon, 12/08/2013 - 13:44

shoop

Thankyou M-L . I will have to have a good look at the mating pair of White-cheeked honeyeaters in my garden and see if I can ID them by sex , if they ever stay still longer enough!!!!!!!!!!!! You would imagine that this would also relate to them as well.