The painted honeyeater (Grantiella picta) is a species of honeyeater in a monotypic genus.
Taxonomy A member of the family Meliphagidae, Grantiella picta is the sole species under this genus. The painted honeyeater was first described in 1838 by Gould and given the name Entomophila picta,Gould, J. (1865). Handbook to the birds of Australia. Retrieved from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34074714#page/540/mode/1up but it was renamed Grantiella picta in 1911 by Mathews.
It took another sixty years from its initial description before details of its eggs, habits, and distribution began to be investigated and recorded. Its genus name is in reference to Robert Grant, a Scottish-born taxidermist and collector, while the species name originates from the Latin word for painted, pictus, and refers to the yellow markings on the feathers of its tail and wings.
DNA sequencing has helped in organising genera within the family Meliphagidae into four main clades, which show relationships between species. However, a shortage in sampling and statistical analysis has led to some branches within the clades being more strongly linked than others.Driskell, A. C., & Christidis, L. (2004). Phylogeny and evolution of the Australo-Papuan honeyeaters (Passeriformes, Meliphagidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31, 943-960.
A study conducted by Driskell and Christidis suggested that Grantiella is in the fourth clade and has associations with Plectorhyncha and Xanthotis. The relationship reported between Grantiella and Plectorhyncha was an unexpected discovery, due to their morphological differences; their similarity in nest-building behaviour was previously not enough to infer that the two species may be closely linked.
Several findings in the study by Driskell and Christidis have since been questioned in a more recent study on the DNA within the family Meliphagidae,Gardner, J. L., Trueman, J. W., Ebert, D., Joseph, L., & Magrath, R. D. (2010). Phylogeny and evolution of the Meliphagoidea, the largest radiation of Australasian songbirds. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 55, 1087-1102. but Grantiella picta was not one of the species investigated further.
Description Weighing around 20-25g, the painted honeyeater is a small bird that is approximately 16 cm in length, with a similar wingspan.Higgins, P. J., Peter, J. M., & Steele, W. K. (Eds.). (2001). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds: Vol. 5. Tyrant-flycatchers to Chats. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. .Longmore, W. (1991). Honeyeaters and their allies of Australia. Collins/Angus & Robertson: North Ryde. . Of the total length, the tail averages about 5.5 cm long and the bill 1.3 cm.
The face, crown and upper parts of the body (including the scapulars, nape and rump) on adult male birds are black, with small white spots located on either side of the head. The underside of the body, consisting of the chin, throat, breast and belly, as well as the underside of the tail, is white. Black spots may be present in amongst the white feathers of the flanks, breast and belly.
The edges of black flight feathers and greater primary and secondary coverts are bright yellow, as are those of the tail feathers, which also have white tips. The striking colour contrast in the feathers of the remiges and rectrices is one of the species' most distinctive traits, along with its pink bill, which has a grey tip. Feet and legs are also grey, while the irises of the eyes are reddish-brown .
Females are slightly smaller than the males and are paler in colour, with fewer spots running down the flanks.Pizzey, G., & Knight, G. (2012). The field guide to the birds of Australia (9th ed.). HarperCollins: Sydney. . Juveniles are even paler than the female, appearing more brown than black, with fainter yellow colouring to feathers and with a grey bill rather than the pink seen on adults.
Distribution and habitat
The painted honeyeater is endemic to Australia and is found across eastern and northern parts of the country. Over spring and summer its distribution stretches from inland central Victoria through scattered parts of much of New South Wales and the ACT and into southern Queensland.
Over winter birds migrate to north Queensland, around Cape York Peninsula, and eastern areas of the Northern Territory. There have also been reports of several sightings in far eastern parts of South Australia.
Found predominantly in woodlands and forests which contain Eucalyptus and Acacia species, their movement is not completely understood but has been connected to the presence of mistletoe and the role of that plant as a food source. Their migration south-north is believed to be as a result of mistletoe berry availability at certain times of the year.Keast, A. (1968). Seasonal movements in the Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) and their ecological significance. Emu, 67, 159-209.
Studies have been conducted which suggest that habitat areas which have undergone less fragmentation and land clearing may see a greater number of painted honeyeaters present.Oliver, D. L., Chambers, M. A., Parker, D. G. (2003). Habitat and resource selection of the Painted Honeyeater (Grantiella picta) on the northern floodplains regions of New South Wales. Emu, 103, 171-176. They have also been found to be more abundant in locations where there are a large number of trees present and a high percentage of canopy cover.
The painted honeyeater is a nomadic species that is very elusive. Observing them is rare but when they are seen it is commonly as pairs or individuals, and less frequently as a flock.
Important Bird Areas BirdLife International has identified the following sites as being important for painted honeyeater conservation:
New South Wales Binya and Cocoparra Capertee Valley Goonoo Pilliga South-west Slopes of NSW
Queensland Boodjamulla
Victoria Warby-Chiltern Box-Ironbark Region
Behaviour Vocalisation
Commonly known to give the call "Georgie", which is broken into two notes, for example geor-gie or georg-EEE. This can also be done in reverse. Males can be particularly vocal during courtship and both sexes are known to call when in flight during the breeding season as they leave and approach the nest.
Some birds may quieten down once nesting has begun or give softer calls as they are approached by people,Hindwood, K. A. (1935). The Painted Honeyeater. Emu, 34, 149-157 or when they are settling down on the nest.Whitmore, M. J., & Eller, C. M. (1983). Observations at a nest of Painted Honeyeaters. Emu, 83(3) 199 – 202 A call sounding like "chur", has been recorded and associated with movement into and out of the nest, possibly signalling relief at returning to the nest.
Under the threat of predation, they also give out alarm calls. Both males and females use differing intensity calls, depending on the situation – a more urgent call is sounded when eggs are being stolen.
Breeding
While the breeding patterns of some species of honeyeaters, such as the Regent honeyeater, are based around the nectar of a particular flowering tree,Franklin, D. C., Menkhorst, P. W., & Robinson, J. L. (1989). Ecology of the Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia. Emu, 89, 140-154.Geering, D., & French, K. (1998). Breeding biology of the Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia in the Capertree Valley, New South Wales. Emu, 98, 104-116. those of the painted honeyeater appear to be centred on the presence of mistletoe berries, particularly those in the genus Amyema.
Although painted honeyeaters build nests in a variety of tree species including Eucalyptus spp. many also favour yarran (Acacia homalophylla) and white cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla), both of which are hosts of the hemiparasitic grey mistletoe (Amyema quandang).Barea, L. P. (2008). Nest-site selection by the Painted Honeyeater (Grantiella picta), a mistletoe specialist. Emu, 108, 213-220.
The breeding season typically takes place from October through to March, the exact timing determined by the availability of resources, which can in turn be influenced by environmental conditions. Successful reproduction hinges on the availability of food; both the adult and young are dependent on adequate resources for survival.Martin, T. E. (1987). Food as a limit on breeding birds: A life-history perspective. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 18, 453-487
Male painted honeyeaters generally arrive at the nesting site several weeks before the female, with both sexes leaving around the same time about 5 months later when mistletoe berry numbers begin to decline.Barea, L. P., & Watson, D. M. (2007). Temporal variation in food resources determines onset of breeding in an Australian mistletoe specialist. Emu, 107, 203-209. Although the fruit is available all year, it is more plentiful over the warmer months, and dwindles as the temperature drops.
Using environmental cues, the timing of nesting is determined by the painted honeyeaters so that they are not arriving at sites as food resources are declining rather than beginning to increase. Coinciding breeding with fruit ripening may also correlate with the preference of many individuals to nest near or amongst mistletoe. It constructs a shallow, flimsy-looking, cup-shaped nest of fine grass and rootlets, bound with spider webs, hanging by the rim from twigs in the outer foliage of a shrub or tree, 3–20 m above the ground.Pizzey, Graham; Doyle, Roy (1980) A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Collins Publishers, Sydney. Morcombe, Michael (2012) Field Guide to Australian Birds. Pascal Press, Glebe, NSW. Revised edition.
It is believed the closeness of the fruit to the nesting sites allows the species to put more effort into other activities as a result of not having to go searching for food. However, it has been shown that nests situated within the mistletoe clump can cause higher rates of nest failure and predation, possibly as the result of opportunistic behaviour by other bird species, such as the spiny-cheeked honeyeater.Barea, L. P., & Watson, D. M. (2013). Trapped between popular fruit and preferred nest location – cafeterias are poor places to raise a family. Functional Ecology, 27, 766-774.
The fact that this species builds nests at locations where the required resources are readily available has a direct influence on which habitats are chosen.Barea, L. P. (2012). Habitat influences on nest-site selection by the Painted Honeyeater (Grantiella picta): Do food resources matter? Emu, 112, 39-45 The branching of mistletoes provides structure for the nest to be built in, and the dense foliage helps with concealment.Watson, D.M. (2001). Mistletoe – A keystone resources in forests and woodlands worldwide. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 32, 219-249. Selecting mistletoe as a site for a nest may also offer a favourable microclimate, one that possibly provides a cooler environment during warmer periods.Cooney, S. J., Watson, D. M., & Young, J. (2006). Mistletoe nesting in Australian birds: A review. Emu, 106, 1-12.
The life stages from the initiation of a clutch, through to hatching and fledging are a direct response to the availability of the berries as a food source, with fledging occurring just before berry ripening has reached its peak.
While the role of the male in nest construction is limited in some species of honeyeaters, this is not the case with the painted honeyeater. Both male and female painted honeyeaters build and shape the nest, weaving and modifying it in a process that can take weeks. While the female builds, the male sits at the top of the tree, following the female when she leaves in search of nest material. The male may return sooner to add to the nest, but after departing again he will eventually reappear with the female.