At a glance
- IUCN category
- CR · Critically Endangered
- Animal group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The regent honeyeater is a striking black-and-yellow songbird of south-eastern Australia. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.
It feeds on nectar from flowering eucalypts and was once far more common.
Range & habitat
South-eastern Australia.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Loss of woodland habitat
- A small, scattered population
- Loss of song culture as numbers fall
Why it matters
A nectar-feeding bird whose decline has become so severe that young males are reportedly losing their song culture, the regent honeyeater is a stark symbol of Australia's woodland bird crisis.
Sources
Sources for Regent Honeyeater
- IUCN Red List — look up Regent Honeyeater (authoritative status)
- BirdLife International
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are regent honeyeaters 'forgetting' their songs?
As the population has crashed, some young males reportedly grow up with too few adults to learn the species' song from, and may mimic other birds instead — a sign of how far numbers have fallen.
Why is the regent honeyeater Critically Endangered?
Published assessments cite the loss of its woodland habitat and a small, scattered population. See the IUCN Red List for the current assessment.
Last updated: