Puff-backed Honeyeater
Meliphaga aruensis
Puff-backed Honeyeater (Meliphaga aruensis) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Puff-backed Honeyeater (Meliphaga aruensis) is a member of the Meliphagidae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 26.2 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 Meliphaga
- Species aruensis
Quick facts
- Weight
- 26.2 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Puff-backed Honeyeater is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Puff-backed Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Puff-backed Honeyeater (Meliphaga aruensis) belongs to the Meliphagidae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU New Guinea and satellites.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 26.2 g, with a wing length of about 8.7 cm and a tail of around 7 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 665,000 km².
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Puff-backed Honeyeater?
The Puff-backed Honeyeater is a small bird that weighs around 26.2 g.
Where does the Puff-backed Honeyeater live?
The Puff-backed Honeyeater is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU New Guinea and satellites, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Puff-backed Honeyeater belong to?
The Puff-backed Honeyeater (Meliphaga aruensis) belongs to the Meliphagidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Puff-backed Honeyeater eat?
The Puff-backed Honeyeater is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Puff-backed Honeyeater migrate?
The Puff-backed Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Puff-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 Puff-backed Honeyeater's range?
The Puff-backed Honeyeater has a mapped global range of about 665,000 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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