Bird guideMistletoebird

Breeding Mistletoebirds conduct elaborate courtship and nuptial displays where, with a horizontal body, the male sways from side to side fluttering its wings, flicking its tail and displaying flashes of red.

⚠️Not listed
🍃Indigenous: Baandjil

At a glance

FamilyFlowerpeckers
SizeTiny
RarityCommon
HabitatTheir flight is swift and they are usually seen flying above or high in the tree canopy on distinctively pointed wings.
Best timeReported across most months in Queensland, with no narrow seasonal peak.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Range map

200approx hotspots
322027approx records
6states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Adult male glossy black above, with bright red chest, black stripe in center of belly, and red undertail coverts. Female gray above, pale below, with red undertail coverts. Juvenile plain, with orange bill base and undertail coverts. Inhabits many habitats across much of mainland Australia.

Behavior

Flight call a high-pitched, thin “dzee,” song a series of high twittering notes.

Regional timing

Queensland
Peak: April to November140,392 records
Western Australia
Peak: June to September23,796 records
Northern Territory
Peak: June to October24,959 records
South Australia
Peak: April to October11,623 records
New South Wales
Peak: September to November70,509 records
Victoria
Peak: October to January46,089 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: October to November4,206 records
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