The ecology of the Australian sandstone Meliphaga honeyeater species

Two of the five Australian Meliphaga species, the White-lined M. albilineata and Kimberley M. fordiana Honeyeaters, are endemic to sandstone habitats in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, respectively. Little is known of their ecology, and their taxonomic status remains debated. We addressed this information gap by studying the foraging ecology and interspecific interactions of both taxa in the field. When compared with other Australian honeyeaters, both species were infrequently found in flocks, and foraged low in the canopy. Within their respective local assemblages, however, the White-lined Honeyeater foraged relatively higher in the forest strata than most species, whereas the Kimberley Honeyeater foraged lower than all other co-occurring honeyeaters. The results presented here fill in some of the gaps in knowledge about these species' ecologies, and support the retention of the Kimberley Honeyeater as a distinct species.