Scarlet Honeyeater 4149703 215533192 2008-05-28T16:56:15Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. {{Taxobox | name = Scarlet Honeyeater | status = LC | image = scarlethoneyeater.jpg | image_caption = Female | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[Passeriformes]] | familia = [[Meliphagidae]] | genus = ''[[Myzomela]]'' | species = '''''M. sanguinolenta''''' | binomial = ''Myzomela sanguinolenta'' | binomial_authority = ([[John Latham (ornithologist)|Latham]], 1802) }} The '''Scarlet Honeyeater''' ''(Myzomela sanguinolenta)'', also known as '''Crimson Honeyeater''', '''Scarlet Myzomela''', '''Sanguineous Honeyeater''' or, colloquially, '''Bloodbird''', is a small [[passerine]] bird of the Honeyeater family [[Meliphagidae]] native to the east coast of [[Australia]], [[Indonesia]] and [[New Caledonia]]. The male is a striking bright red with black wings; the female is entirely brown. ==Taxonomy== It was originally described as ''Certhia sanguinolenta'' by ornithologist [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in 1802.<ref>Latham, J. (1802). ''Supplementum Indicis Ornithologici, sive Systematis Ornithologiae.'' London: G. Leigh, J. & S. Sotheby 74 pp. [37}</ref> It is a member of the small genus ''[[Myzomela]]'' with two other red species, the [[Red-headed Honeyeater]] of northern Australia and the [[Cardinal Honeyeater]] of [[Vanuatu]], as well as the [[Dusky Honeyeater]]. It belongs to the [[honeyeater]] family Meliphagidae. More recently, [[DNA]] analysis has shown honeyeaters to be related to the [[Pardalotidae]], and the [[Petroicidae]] (Australian robins) in a large [[Corvida|corvid]] superfamily; some researchers considering all these families in a broadly defined [[Corvidae]]. ==Description== [[Image:Myzomela_sanguinolenta_(jsk16270).jpg|thumb|left|Male Scarlet Honeyeater]] The male Scarlet Honeyeater is 10-11&nbsp;cm (4&nbsp;in) long with a bright red head, breast, back and rump, black tail and wings (wing feathers have white margins) with a white abdomen. The female is a pale brown with a whitish abdomen. Both have black bills and eyes. A variety of calls have been recorded, including a bell-like tinkling.<ref>{{cite book | author = Simpson K, Day N, Trusler P | title = Field Guide to the Birds of Australia | publisher = Viking O'Neil | date = 1993 | location = Ringwood, Victoria | pages = 392 | id = ISBN 0-670-90478-3}}</ref> Males could be mistaken for the similar looking Red-headed Honeyeater in north Queensland where their ranges overlap, though the latter's red colouration is restricted to the head. ==Distribution and habitat== The Scarlet Honeyeater is found from [[Melbourne]] in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] north through eastern coastal Australia east of the [[Great Dividing Range]] to [[Cape York]]. Outside Australia it occurs in [[Indonesia]], where it is found on [[Sulawesi]], the [[Maluku Islands|Maluku]] and [[Lesser Sunda Islands]], and in [[New Caledonia]]. It is found in forested areas and is omnivorous, feeding on insects as well as nectar. ==Reproduction== Breeding season is from winter through to summer, with one or two broods a year. The nest consists of a tiny cup of shredded bark with spider web as binding, high up in tree canopy, or even mistletoe.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Cooney SJN, Watson DM, Young J | title = Mistletoe nesting in Australian birds: a review | journal = Emu | volume = 106 | pages = 1–12 | publisher = CSIRO Publishing | date = 2006 | url = https://www.anu.edu.au/BoZo/stuart/Papers/MU040181.pdf | doi = | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref> The small eggs are white with the larger end flecked with dull red-brown or grey-purple.<ref>{{cite book | last = Beruldsen | first = G | title = Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs | publisher = self | date = 2003 | location = Kenmore Hills, Qld | pages = 329 | doi = | id = ISBN 0-646-42798-9}}</ref> ==Aviculture== Scarlet Honeyeaters are rarely seen in aviculture. Keeping them successfully requires a large commitment in time and experience. Various State regulations govern the keeping of the species, for instance, in South Australia a Specialist License is required, while in New South Wales a Class 2 licence is required. N.S.W. applicants must have at least 2 years experience keeping birds, and be able to demonstrate that they can provide the appropriate care and housing for the species they wish to obtain. The late Mr. Neil Tuthill, of Murray Bridge, was awarded an R.W. McKechnie Memorial Medal by The Avicultural Society of South Australia Inc., for the first breeding of the Scarlet Honey-eater in South Australia. <ref>{{cite web | author = NSW NPWS | title = NSW Bird Keepers’ Licence Species Lists | publisher = NSW NPWS| date = 2003 | url = http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/PDFs/bird_licensing_outline.pdf | accessdate = 2007-06-06}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} * {{IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=50710|title=Myzomela sanguinolenta|downloaded=12 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern [[Category:Birds of Australia]] [[Category:Myzomela]]