It may be a surprise to some readers to hear that there are 56 different types of Honeyeater here in Australia.
This is only those that have been given the Honeyeater name.
In the same family of birds, there are also the Friarbirds, the Miners, Spinebills, Wattlebirds and the Bellbird.
From all these different members to choose from, I have firstly selected one of the lesser known Honeyeaters. This is because, although I have never seen it here myself, references have indicated that it is in Central Queensland, south of the Tropic of Capricorn, not too far inland with a range heading south from there.
I took this illustration in New South Wales while holidaying there. It certainly is an attractive bird with a lovely plumage.
The Regent lives in open bush country and a large group of them may arrive in an area when the flowers are in blossom.
Another Central Queensland resident being in large numbers around here is the Noisy Miner which I have covered in a previous column. Our Botanical Gardens has many of them at different times of the year.
I have mentioned that one to introduce a very similar looking bird whose colour is very similar but with more yellow under the head area. This bird is called the Yellow-throated Miner.
When I was at my school in the Callide Valley and we lived in the School Residence, there were some thin trees growing behind our back fence. One weekend, I looked out and my first thought was that there was a Noisy Miner in one of the trees.
At a second look, I realised it was a different bird which turned out to be the Yellow-throated Miner.
With my camera, I raced down and the bird co-operated by staying on one of the clear branches.
