Photo: John Gould / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
Green-backed Honeyeater
Glycichaera fallax
Green-backed Honeyeater (Glycichaera fallax) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Green-backed Honeyeater (Glycichaera fallax) is a member of the Meliphagidae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 11.2 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Meliphagidae Honeyeaters
- Genus Glycichaera
- Species fallax
Where it lives
New Guinea and east-central Cape York Pen. (northeastern Australia)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 11.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Green-backed Honeyeater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Green-backed Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Green-backed Honeyeater (Glycichaera fallax) belongs to the Meliphagidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU New Guinea and ec Cape York Pen. (ne Australia).
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 11.2 g, with a wing length of about 6 cm and a tail of around 4.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 604,000 km².
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Green-backed Honeyeater?
The Green-backed Honeyeater is a very small bird that weighs around 11.2 g.
Where does the Green-backed Honeyeater live?
The Green-backed Honeyeater is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU New Guinea and ec Cape York Pen. (ne Australia), where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Green-backed Honeyeater belong to?
The Green-backed Honeyeater (Glycichaera fallax) belongs to the Meliphagidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Green-backed Honeyeater eat?
The Green-backed Honeyeater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Green-backed Honeyeater migrate?
The Green-backed Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Green-backed Honeyeater endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
How large is the Green-backed Honeyeater's range?
The Green-backed Honeyeater has a mapped global range of about 604,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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