The purple-gaped honeyeater (Lichenostomus cratitius) is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to semi-arid southern Australia, where it inhabits mallee, tall heath and associated low eucalypt woodland.[1]
The purple-gaped honeyeater is a medium-sized (16-19 centimetres) honeyeater which is generally grey-olive above and buffish yellow below. They have a patterned head, with a black eyestripe against a grey background and purple gape above a yellow streak on the throat and pointed yellow ear coverts. Juveniles are similar, but with duller facial patterns, slightly browner plumage, and a yellow gape and gape line.[1] The Kangaroo Island subspecies is considered to be larger and darker than the mainland subspecies.[1]
Similar species include yellow-plumed honeyeater and singing honeyeater.
The song is a clear toweet-toweet-toweet, followed by a high-pitched yep-yep-yep, often performed from a tall branch, including before dawn.[1]
They occur in disjunct populations across southern Australia, east from southern Western Australia, with the eastern population largely occurring south of the Murray River, and NSW forming the extreme north-east of its range. Despite its naturally disjunct populations, the purple-gaped honeyeater has very low genetic diversity across its range.[2]
The main habitat type for purple-gaped honeyeater is mallee woodland and shrubland.[3] This includes bull mallee, with patches of green mallee or blue mallee.[3] They also occur in yellow gum woodland with dense thickets of 'totem-poles' or violet honey-myrtle on low-lying flats and gullies in mallee areas.[3] They are occasionally recorded in river red gums bordering waterways, and seasonally in red ironbark woodlands when they are in flower.[3] Purple-gaped honeyeaters can also occasionally be found in gardens.[1]
They are gregarious, usually seen in pairs, or groups of 3-8 birds.[3] Generally considered quiet and unobtrusive, except in spring when they may call often.[3] They are known to regularly drink and bathe, particularly in warmer weather.[3] Purple-gaped honeyeaters associate with yellow-plumed honeyeater and tawny-crowned honeyeater,[3] but can be aggressive towards other honeyeaters,[1] and frequently chase other birds, particularly when feeding.
Purple-gaped honeyeaters feed mainly on nectar and insects,[1] especially from flowering mallee eucalypts,[3] and banksias. They also forage for insects under loose bark on trunks and branches of trees, or catch flying insects on the wing.[3] Seeds, pollen and honeydew from scale insects are less frequently consumed.
Purple-gaped honeyeaters build nests as a small cup of bark strips, grass and down, bound with spider web and egg sacs, slung in a horizontal fork or from slender branchlets within dense foliage (usually broombush or eucalypts), normally less than three metres above the ground.
The purple-gaped honeyeater is vulnerable to clearing of mallee, which destroys habitat by removing food plants and nesting sites.
* The species is listed under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as a species of 'Least concern'.
* In NSW, it is listed as Vulnerable under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.[4]
* In South Australia, the species is listed as Rare under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.[5]
* In Victoria, the species is listed as Vulnerable under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.[6]
Purple-gaped honeyeaters occur in several protected areas, including:
* Mallee Cliffs National Park[4]
* Flinders Chase National Park[7]
* Gawler Ranges National Park[8]
* Billiatt Conservation Park[9]
* Peebinga Conservation Park[10]
* Greater Bendigo National Park[3]
* Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
* Murray-Sunset National Park[12]
* Big Desert Wilderness Park[12]
* Lake Albacutya Park[12]
* Inglewood Nature Conservation Reserve[3]
* Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve[3]
* Cape Le Grand National Park[14]