Common smoky honeyeater facts for kids
The common smoky honeyeater (scientific name: Melipotes fumigatus) is a cool, medium-sized bird. You can find it living in the forests of central Papua New Guinea and Eastern Indonesia. It's part of a bird family called Meliphagidae, which includes many different honeyeaters.
This bird is easy to spot because of its charcoal-colored body. It also has a bright, blotchy neon orange circle around its eyes! The common smoky honeyeater likes to eat small fruits, insects, and parts of flowers. It usually builds its nests and has its babies in September and early October, which is the dry season in its home.
Quick facts for kids Common smoky honeyeater |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Melipotes
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| Species: |
fumigatus
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Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The common smoky honeyeater has a special bright orange patch around each eye. Its upper wings have brown tips and olive-colored edges. The base of its wings is a lighter shade of brown.
The bird's main body is a mix of brown and black. Its belly is brown with cool white, crescent-shaped patterns. It has gray and brown legs. If you want to tell the difference between a male and a female, just look at their size! Male smoky honeyeaters are usually bigger than the females.
Where Do They Live?
These birds make their home in Southeast Asia. Specifically, you can find them in Eastern Indonesia and Central Papua New Guinea. They like to fly high in the mountains.
Common smoky honeyeaters live at altitudes between 1,400 and 3,400 meters. Interestingly, males and females often live at different heights. Females prefer higher mountain areas, usually from 2,160 to 2,490 meters up. Males typically live a bit lower, between 1,830 and 2,160 meters. When it's time for them to move, they might fly down to lower mountains in Papua New Guinea, around 750 to 1,200 meters high.
What Sounds Do They Make?
The common smoky honeyeater has a few different calls. It often makes a soft "sit-sit-sit" sound. Sometimes, it makes a faint "swift-swift-swift" sound.
When there are young birds nearby, it changes its call. It will make a "wheat-wheat-wheat" sound. This sound is a warning to other smoky honeyeaters.
What Do They Eat?
The common smoky honeyeater mainly eats fresh fruit. They also enjoy eating different kinds of insects. Sometimes, they even eat parts of flowers.
Even though they are called "honeyeaters," they don't actually eat nectar. Their diet is all about fruits, insects, and floral plants. They like fruits that are usually 2 to 8 millimeters wide. These birds are clever hunters. They peck at flowers to find insects hiding there. They also catch insects by quickly rushing at them with their beaks pointed down.
Common smoky honeyeaters are known for protecting their food spots. They will chase away other birds, like the Superb Bird-of-Paradise, to keep their meal.
How Do They Raise Their Young?
The common smoky honeyeater builds its nest either high above the ground or near the end of a branch on a small tree. Their breeding season happens during the dry season in New Guinea. This is usually in September and early October.
Their nests are mostly made of soft moss and other plant materials. One nest that was studied was about 14 centimeters wide and 14 centimeters deep. Most of their nests are built quite high up, usually between 4.5 and 12 meters above the ground.
See also
- List of birds of Papua New Guinea
