Overview

Micronesian Myzomela: Small, deep red honeyeater with black belly, vent, wings, and tail. Bit of black around eye and on lores. Medium, black, sharp, downcurved bill. Medium-length, notched tail. Medium black-gray legs and feet. Female and juvenile like male but duller red plumage. more brown on belly, and more brown-black wings and tail.

Voice Text

"chip"

• The Micronesian Myzomela once had a population in Guam, but it is now almost certainly extinct there. Since this species is an important pollinator, its absence has caused damage to the local ecosystem.
• These birds are highly territorial and will aggressively defend their territory, both from members of their own species, and from others such as Bridled White-eyes.
• This species was first described in 1827 in the east Caroline Islands by French ornithologist R. Lesson.
• A group of honeyeaters is collectively known as a "hive" of honeyeaters.

Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)

ORDER

Most of the small birds such as the thrushes, fantails, and swallows are members

of the one hundred and eighteen families found in the largest taxonomic order of

birds; the PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez).

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The honeyeaters are placed in the meliphagidae (pronounced mel-ih-

FADJ-ih-dee), a group of one hundred and eighty-two species in forty-two

genera found in Australasia, eastern Indonesia, and on islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

SOUTH PACIFIC-PALAU

Twenty-four species of honeyeaters in nine genera live on islands in the South Pacific. The Micronesian Myzomela is the only honeyeater that occurs in Palau, and is common on most of the larger islands.

KNOWN FOR

Honeyeaters are known for their primarily Australasian distribution and nectivorous behavior although they also include some invertebrates and fruit in their diet.

PHYSICAL

Members of the meliphagidae are small to medium-sized birds with rather long, slightly down-curved bills adapted to feeding on nectar. The have medium-length wings, tails, and legs.

COLORATION

Many honeyeater species have dull-colored, olive and brown plumage with bits of yellow, red, orange, or blue. Some species also show bold, black and white patterns, and streaked underparts. Most of the myzomela species of the South Pacific have plumage with varying amounts of scarlet.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Most honeyeater species require forest habitats, including forest dominated by Eucalyptus species, as well as tropical forests. Some species also live in grasslands, and several, including the Micronesian Myzomela of Palau, use gardens and edge habitats.

MIGRATION

Although some Australian honeyeater species are short-distance migrants, most members of this family are sedentary, including the Micronesian Myzomela of Palau.

HABITS

Most honeyeaters form small flocks with individuals of the same species, and will also join flocks composed of several honeyeater species, especially outside of the breeding season.

CONSERVATION

The Micronesian Myzomela, other myzomela species in the South Pacific, and most members of the Meliphagidae are fairly common in appropriate habitat. However, at least eleven honeyeater species are threatened with extinction, and two of these are critically endangered. These two species are the Crow Honeyeater of New Caledonia, and the Regent Honeyeater of Southeastern Australia. Both are threatened by habitat loss.

INTERESTING FACTS

Most honeyeaters have a modified, brush-tipped tongue suited for collecting flower nectar. Although, like hummingbirds, honeyeaters are highly nectivorous, they take nectar from flowers while perched and not while hovering. Several Australian honeyeater species wander over large areas in search of flowering trees instead of defending small territories. DNA studies have shown that the extinct Hawaiian Honeyeaters were more closely related to waxwings and silky-flycatchers than Meliphagidae species.

Artist

Michael Oberhofer