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| Little Wattle Bird Anthochaera chrysoptera. |
These two were clowning around, but I am not sure what the display was for. They are common in the coastal regions of south-eastern Australia.
They belong to the honeyeater family and although quite large for a honeyeater, they are the smallest of the wattle birds, and don't in fact have wattles (fleshy tissue dangling from the throat), unlike some other species in their genus. The birds can be found in banksia-eucalyptus woodland, heathland and teatree scrub.
Little Wattle Birds feed by sticking their tongue into tubular flowers. The tip of their tongue is in the form of a sort of brush, which collects nectar. They will also eat insects and berries.
6 comments:
If I'm not mistaken, doesn't chrysoptera mean golden wing? Can I see a golden feather or two on the wings of both birds?
Yes, the greenery-yallery feathers on the wing are the reason they are called chrysoptera.
My curiosity was piqued by Anthochaera. I know that anthos means flower, but what about chaera? Could not find any explanation on the Net. Not having a Greek dictionary, cannot try and find some king of meaning either! I'll survive!
... some kind... sorry!
'Chaera' means 'pleasing' or 'rejoicing'.
Thank you, Susan.
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