Photo: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Fuscous Honeyeater
Ptilotula fusca
Fuscous Honeyeater (Ptilotula fusca) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 12 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Fuscous Honeyeater (Ptilotula fusca) is a member of the Meliphagidae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 17.7 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 Ptilotula
- Species fusca
Quick facts
- Weight
- 17.7 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 Fuscous 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 Fuscous Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Fuscous Honeyeater (Ptilotula fusca) belongs to the Meliphagidae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU e Australia.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 17.7 g, with a wing length of about 8.1 cm and a tail of around 6.7 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 949,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Fuscous Honeyeater?
The Fuscous Honeyeater is a small bird that weighs around 17.7 g.
Where does the Fuscous Honeyeater live?
The Fuscous Honeyeater is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU e Australia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Fuscous Honeyeater belong to?
The Fuscous Honeyeater (Ptilotula fusca) belongs to the Meliphagidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Fuscous Honeyeater eat?
The Fuscous Honeyeater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Fuscous Honeyeater migrate?
The Fuscous Honeyeater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Fuscous 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 Fuscous Honeyeater make?
1 real field recording of the Fuscous Honeyeater — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Fuscous Honeyeater's range?
The Fuscous Honeyeater has a mapped global range of about 949,000 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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