The white-eared honeyeater is a medium-sized honeyeater found in Australia. It is a member of the family Meliphagidae which has 190 recognised species with about half of them found in Australia. This makes them members of the most diverse family of birds in Australia. White-eared honeyeaters are easily identifiable by their olive-green body, black head and white ear-patch.
Region
Southern Australia
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across southern and southeastern Australia, including mallee, open eucalypt forests, box–ironbark woodlands, and coastal heath. It favors areas with dense shrubby understory for cover and nesting, and feeds in both canopy and midstory. Often found along riparian corridors, woodland edges, and regenerating habitats with flowering eucalypts. Local movements track flowering and insect abundance, but it does not undertake long-distance migrations.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The white-eared honeyeater is a medium-sized Australian honeyeater easily recognized by its black head and crisp white ear-patch. It frequents eucalypt woodlands and mallee, often gleaning insects from bark as well as taking nectar from blossoms. By consuming lerps and other sap-feeding insects, it can help reduce pest loads on eucalypts. It is generally shy and keeps to dense shrubs, revealing itself with sharp, scolding calls.
White-eared honeyeater
White-eared honeyeater
Eggs of the white-eared honeyeater
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, maintaining territories especially during the breeding season. Nests are neat, cup-shaped structures placed low to mid-height in dense shrubs, often bound with spider silk. Pairs are attentive parents and defend nest areas vigorously against intruders.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp scolding ‘chak’ and ‘chup’ notes, interspersed with thin whistles. Song is simple and repetitive, often delivered from cover, while contact calls are more clipped and harsh.
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts with paler olive underparts; head largely black with a sharply defined white ear-patch; wings and tail olive with yellow-olive edges.
Diet
Takes nectar from flowering eucalypts and other native shrubs, and regularly gleans insects and spiders from foliage and bark. Consumes lerps and honeydew produced by sap-feeding insects, as well as small fruits when available. Foraging is versatile, moving between shrubs and canopy and probing crevices in bark.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in blossom-rich eucalypt woodland, mallee, and heath with a dense understory. Often forages along edges, riparian zones, and regenerating areas where insect and nectar resources are concentrated.
