| Banded honeyeater | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Meliphagidae |
| Genus: | Cissomela Bonaparte, 1854 |
| Species: | C. pectoralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cissomela pectoralis (Gould, 1841) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Thebanded honeyeater (Cissomela pectoralis) is a species of honeyeater in the familyMeliphagidae with a characteristic narrow black band across its white underparts.[2] It isendemic to tropical northernAustralia.
The scientific name for the banded honeyeater isCissomela pectoralis (Gould, 1841).[3] Theholotype was Holotype ANSP 18224 male, Australia: north coast, held in theAcademy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University,Philadelphia.[4]
The banded honeyeater was previously placed in the genusCerthionyx, but was moved to themonotypic genusCissomela after amolecular phylogenetic analysis, published in 2011, showed that the original genus waspolyphyletic.[5][6]
Thegenus nameCissomela (Bonaparte, 1854)[7] means "honey magpie" from theGreekkissa for 'magpie', thus referring to the black and white colouring, andmela meaning 'honey' for its feeding habits. The specific epithetpectoralis comes from theLatinpectoris for 'breast', referring to the distinctive banded breast of this bird.[8]
The banded honeyeater is a small, pied honeyeater with a distinctive black breast band across white underparts.[2][9] It has a black back, tail and head, a long curved bill and long legs.[10]
It has a wingspan of 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in), the bill measures 14–18 mm (0.6–0.7 in), the body length is 11.5–13.5 cm (4.5–5.3 in) and it weighs 8–13 g (0.3–0.5 oz).[2][10]
TheIUCN Red List rating, theNorthern Territory Conservation Status andQueensland Conservation Status for this species isLeast Concern (LC).[1][10]
The banded honeyeater inhabits tropical grassy woodland, open forests,mangroves andMelaleuca swamps. It feeds on the nectar of eucalypts and some other open flowers, such asGrevilleas,paperbarks andBauhinias, plus insects. It usually moves in pairs or small groups, but large groups can gather when blossom is plentiful. It is a blossom nomad or can have seasonal movements in various parts of its range, which is restricted to tropical northern Australia.[2][9][10]
