Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

HoneyeatersHoneyeaters Index Blue-faced Honeyeater Brown Honeyeater Brown-headed Honeyeater Crescent Honeyeater Eastern Spinebill Grey-fronted Honeyeater Grey-headed Honeyeater New Holland Honeyeater Noisy Miner Pied Honeyeater Red Wattlebird Scarlet Honeyeater Singing Honeyeater Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Yellow-throated Miner Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

The Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops) is a medium-sized honeyeater, with a yellow chin and crown, black cheeks and notable for the yellow tufts behind the ear. The back is an olive-green to an olive-brown on the wings and tail, with the underparts more olive-yellow.

They are usually found in the woodland areas of the south-east ranges of Australia.

A black and yellow honeyeater, there are four subspecies: Gippsland Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (L. m. gippslandicus), Sydney Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (L. m. melanops), Inland Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (L. m. meltoni), Helmeted Honeyeater (L. m. cassidix).

They are a gregarious bird, noisy and active, that often are seen in groups.

The sexes are similar, except that the male bird is slightly larger. The juveniles are duller and paler, with the yellow areas being a washed looking green.

The Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters usually forage in the tree canopy, foraging for insects, spiders, snails and other invertebrates. It also searches for insects by probing the bark of tree-trunks and branches. They also feed on lerps and honeydew, as well as the nectar and sap flowing from eucalypts.