Photo: Tony Morris from St Margaret's at Cliffe, Kent UK / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Brown-backed Honeyeater
Ramsayornis modestus
Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus) — 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 Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus) is a member of the Meliphagidae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 12.1 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 Ramsayornis
- Species modestus
Where it lives
Patchily on New Guinea coast and satellites, and Cape York Pen., northeastern QLD (northeastern Australia)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 12.1 g
- Diet
- Nectar-feeders
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Brown-backed Honeyeater is a nectarivore — it feeds mainly on nectar.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Brown-backed Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus) is a member of the Meliphagidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU patchily on New Guinea coast and satellites, and Cape York Pen., ne QLD (ne Australia).
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 12.1 g, with a wing length of about 6.6 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.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 290,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Brown-backed Honeyeater?
The Brown-backed Honeyeater is a very small bird that weighs around 12.1 g.
Where does the Brown-backed Honeyeater live?
The Brown-backed Honeyeater is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU patchily on New Guinea coast and satellites, and Cape York Pen., ne QLD (ne Australia), where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Brown-backed Honeyeater belong to?
The Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus) belongs to the Meliphagidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Brown-backed Honeyeater eat?
The Brown-backed Honeyeater is a nectarivore — it feeds mainly on nectar.
Does the Brown-backed Honeyeater migrate?
The Brown-backed Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Brown-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.
What sound does the Brown-backed Honeyeater make?
1 real field recording of the Brown-backed Honeyeater — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Brown-backed Honeyeater's range?
The Brown-backed Honeyeater has a mapped global range of about 290,000 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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