The Eungella Honeyeater (Bolemoreus hindwoodi) is a medium-bodied, grey-brown honeyeater. The bill to tail length averages 18.5 cm with a 26.5 cm wingspan and a weight between 20 and 25 g. Adults have a narrow cream yellow stripe under the eye and a grey blue iris. The Bridled Honeyeater (Bolemoreus frenatus) is the sister species of the Eungella Honeyeater, and initially the Eungella Honeyeater was considered an isolated population of the Bridled Honeyeater, although they do not look that similar when viewed up close. I have had the privilege of having seen both species in the hand as a Queensland Bird Research and Banding Group (QBRBG) volunteer.
The Eungella Honeyeater has an extremely restricted range in and around the higher altitude rainforests of the Clarke Range including Eungella National Park west of Mackay. Birds are also known to occasionally visit lower altitudes including gardens around Mackay, but movement trends have not been well studied. Due to the Honeyeater’s very restricted range, which is considered vulnerable to both fire and climate change, the Eungella Honeyeater has an IUCN listing of Near Threatened and a Queensland listing of Vulnerable. Despite the listings there is no Australian conservation plan or strategy for this species, and it has not been well researched. The HANZAB chapter has many aspects of its life history and ecology listed as “poorly known.”
However, David and Rosemary Braithwaite through QBRBG and with the cooperation and support of Birdlife Mackay and National Parks are trying to increase our knowledge of this elusive species. In 2015 David and Rosemary with the support of Jon Coleman started a general monitoring and banding site at Finch Hatton Gorge. Horticulturist Aaron Bean joined the team, and in 2018 they realized they had the skills to expand the project with the goal to be able to increase the knowledge of the Eungella Honeyeater.
Aaron found multiple suitable Eungella Honeyeater sites in and around Eungella National Park and the team got the appropriate permissions and permits in place for each location to be able to band birds at those sites and to specifically colour band Eungella Honeyeaters. Colour banding involves each bird getting a unique combination of coloured bands on its legs and means that Birdlife Mackay members and other enthusiasts can survey and report individual birds with cameras and binoculars. Colour banding began in January 2019. In 2021 Bean et al. published Food plants of the Eungella Honeyeater (Bolemoreus hindwoodi) in the North Queensland Naturalist which significantly expanded the known food plants for this species. The paper documents the birds feeding off 30 native plants flowers and fruits as well as seven non-native or garden plants. This paper will be expanded as there have been other significant food sources identified since then through observation of Eungella Honeyeaters feeding during the course of this study.
Today there are eight banding locations across 25 km of the Range which are visited quarterly, weather permitting, by the core team and other QBRBG volunteers. 129 Eungella Honeyeaters have been colour banded and there have been 26 individuals recaptured or resighted by either the banding team, Birdlife Mackay, or members of the public. In April a male was recaptured after four years and seven months, which is a longevity record for the species. One individual has been photographed a kilometre from its banding location. Although the true range of the species is thought to be much further, this provides a starting point for documenting seasonal movements. More observations of colour banded birds are needed. In April this year, the first Eungella Honeyeater was banded in the lower altitude original Finch Hatton Gorge site.
This is an exciting project where Birds Queensland through QBRBG is contributing important knowledge about a threatened species with citizen science volunteers. If you, or someone you know, are birdwatching around Eungella National Park and see Eungella Honeyeaters, particularly those with colour bands, please carefully note the colour combination or ideally snap a photo and report the observations with a GPS location either directly to David Braithwaite or through the QBRBG website. This will greatly assist the team’s research and our knowledge of this special bird.
References:
- Bean, A. J., Braithwaite, D. S., Braithwaite, R. E., and Coleman, J. T. (2021) Food plants of the Eungella Honeyeater (Bolemoreus hindwoodi). North Queensland Naturalist: 51.
- BirdLife Australia (2023). Eungella Honeyeater. [Text before updates sourced from: Marchant, S. et al (eds) 1990-2006 Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.Volume 1 to 7.] Birdlife Australia. Birdlife Australia. Last modified 2025-02-06 05:24. Source: https://hanzab.birdlife.org.au/species/eungella-honeyeater/ Accessed: May 12, 2025 Time Zone: +10:00
- Braithewaite, D. S. (2025) Personal Communication
- Higgins, P. J., L. Christidis, and H. Ford (2020). Eungella Honeyeater (Bolemoreus hindwoodi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.
