Mistletoebird
The mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum), also known as the mistletoe flowerpecker, is a species of flowerpecker native to most of Australia (though absent from Tasmania and the driest desert areas) and also to the eastern Maluku Islands of Indonesia in the Arafura Sea between Australia and New Guinea. The mistletoebird eats mainly the berries of the parasitic mistletoe and is a vector for the spread of the mistletoe's seeds through its digestive system. == Taxonomy and evolution == The mistletoebird is one of 54 species of the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae. The flowerpeckers are considered to be nearest in avian evolutionary relationship to the sunbird family Nectariniidae. Both the flowerpeckers and sunbirds are thought to be early offshoots of the early passeroid radiation that occurred 20-30 million years ago. The sunbirds are found mainly in Africa and Asia and the flowerpeckers throughout Asia. The mistletoebird is a geologically recent arrival into Australia from South-East Asia. It is thought to have started colonizing Australia from about two million years ago. The mistletoebird is a mistletoe-feeding specialist and mistletoe-feeding specialists have evolved independently in eight of the world's avian families. This extreme dietary specialization has evolved in non-passerine species, as well as sub-oscine and…
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Petermann, Australia
+91 birds+10 mammals
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is one of Australia’s most iconic protected areas, renowned for its breathtaking desert landscapes, extraordinary geological […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWickham National Park
Brisbane, Australia
+123 birds+30 mammals
Rugged sandstone plateaus rise dramatically across this compact yet ecologically rich corner of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, where ancient weathered […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBunya Mountains National Park
Australia
+77 birds+20 mammals
Where subtropical rainforest canopies rise above weathered volcanic peaks, Queensland’s Bunya Mountains hold some of Australia’s most ancient and biodiverse […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKakadu National Park
Kakadu, Australia
+130 birds+20 mammals
Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest national park and one of the world’s most remarkable protected areas, covering nearly 20,000 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKDaintree National Park
Dedin, Australia
+125 birds+30 mammals
Daintree National Park is one of the world’s oldest and most biologically diverse tropical rainforests, protecting an extraordinary landscape where […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKChiltern-Mt Pilot National Park
Australia
+135 birds+17 mammals
Where granite peaks rise sharply above undulating eucalypt woodlands, the landscape reveals a mosaic of ecological treasures spanning nearly 870 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKIkara-Flinders Ranges National Park
Australia
+83 birds+9 mammals
Where ancient ridges rise in rust-red waves across South Australia’s heartland, one of the continent’s most dramatic mountain ranges unfolds […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSpringbrook National Park
Australia
+131 birds+30 mammals
Where subtropical rainforest cascades down steep volcanic escarpments and mist clings to ancient tree ferns, one of Australia’s most biodiverse […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLamington National Park
Australia
+122 birds+30 mammals
Where subtropical rainforest cloaks volcanic plateaus in Queensland’s Gold Coast hinterland, one of Australia’s oldest national parks unfolds across 541 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLittle Desert National Park
Australia
+107 birds+7 mammals
Where red sand dunes roll beneath a vast Australian sky, mallee scrubland stretches across 2,609 square kilometres of northwestern Victoria. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBelair National Park
Adelaide, Australia
+132 birds+19 mammals
Where the Adelaide Hills rise dramatically from the surrounding plains, eucalyptus woodlands of remarkable diversity cloak a landscape sculpted by […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCleland National Park
Australia
+95 birds+12 mammals
Where eucalyptus woodlands rise across the Adelaide Hills, a compact sanctuary of roughly twenty square kilometers preserves one of South […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park
Australia
+54 birds+8 mammals
Where ancient quartzite ridges rise abruptly from South Australian scrubland, deep gorges slice through a landscape sculpted by 1.6 billion […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKOnkaparinga River National Park
Adelaide, Australia
+84 birds+9 mammals
Where the Onkaparinga River carves through South Australian scrubland, eucalypt woodlands and mallee heath converge in a landscape sculpted by […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLockyer National Park
Australia
+127 birds+30 mammals
Where volcanic ridges meet subtropical woodland, a mosaic of eucalypt forest and grassy woodland unfolds across southeastern Queensland’s hidden gem. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSundown National Park
Australia
+88 birds+11 mammals
Where the Queensland borderlands rise into sandstone plateaux and eucalyptus woodland, rugged gorges slice through 305 square kilometres of some […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAnnan River (Yuku Baja-Muliku) National Park
Australia
+63 birds+2 mammals
Granite peaks rise dramatically from tropical lowlands where the Annan River carves through pristine wilderness in Far North Queensland. This […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKEndeavour River National Park
Philadelphia, Australia
+22 birds+1 mammals
Where tropical rainforest collides with rugged granite outcrops and pristine coastal waters, a pocket of Far North Queensland wilderness reveals […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRinyirru National Park
Lakefield, Australia
+141 birds+6 mammals
Where granite outcrops pierce windswept savanna and seasonal floodplains stretch toward the horizon, Australia’s northeastern extremity harbors one of the […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBald Rock National Park
Australia
+123 birds+26 mammals
Where granite peaks thrust skyward across the New England Tablelands, weathered stone and eucalypt woodland meet in a landscape of […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGirraween National Park
Australia
+121 birds+22 mammals
Where granite boulders the size of cathedrals rise from eucalypt woodland, Queensland’s Southern Downs reveal one of Australia’s most geologically […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGlass House Mountains National Park
Australia
+129 birds+30 mammals
Volcanic peaks thrust skyward across the Queensland hinterland, their steep-sided summits sculpted from ancient lava flows and weathered by millions […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWhitsunday Islands National Park
Whitsundays, Australia
+59 birds+1 mammals
Crystalline waters lap against seventy-four islands where rainforest canopies tumble down to pristine beaches and coral gardens flourish in the […]
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