White-naped Honeyeater
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. == Taxonomy == 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), Acanthizidae (Australian warblers, scrubwrens, thornbills, etc.), and the Maluridae (Australian fairy-wrens) in the large superfamily Meliphagoidea. Gilbert's honeyeater, found in southwest Western Australia…
Cania Gorge National Park
Australia
+76 birds+7 mammals
Where sandstone cliffs rise dramatically from eucalyptus woodland, rare geological formations create a hidden sanctuary in Queensland’s inland reaches. Cania […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCarnarvon National Park
Philadelphia, Australia
+93 birds+21 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through Queensland’s semi-arid interior, ancient sandstone walls tower above crystalline waterhole oases in an landscape that […]
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 PARKKinglake National Park
Australia
+106 birds+22 mammals
Where eucalyptus-clad ridges rise above fern-filled gullies, the landscape unfolds in a patchwork of wet forest, dry sclerophyll woodland, and […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLower Glenelg National Park
Australia
+64 birds+11 mammals
Where limestone cliffs plunge toward tannin-stained waters, South Australia’s southwestern frontier reveals one of the continent’s most sculptured wilderness areas. […]
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 PARKNaracoorte Caves National Park
Australia
+119 birds+14 mammals
Limestone pavements and sinkhole forests define this 53-square-kilometre sanctuary in South Australia’s southeast, where ancient cave systems plunge deep into […]
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 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 PARKMorton National Park
Australia
+125 birds+27 mammals
Where sandstone cliffs plunge into temperate rainforest and eucalypt woodlands blanket the New South Wales highlands, Morton National Park sprawls […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKHeathcote National Park
Sydney, Australia
+131 birds+26 mammals
Where sandstone ridges rise above eucalyptus woodlands and crystalline creeks carve through ancient valleys, one of Victoria’s most underrated wilderness […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLake Eildon National Park
Australia
+76 birds+17 mammals
Where granite peaks rise above the sprawling waters of a vast reservoir, Victoria’s 869-square-kilometre wilderness unfolds in dramatic contrasts. The […]
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