Mistletoebird (male)

Description:

This gorgeous little guy has a bright, red chin, throat and breast. Down the centre of his body is a bold, black stripe with white on either side. His head is black which extends down over his back. "Unlike many other birds, the mistletoebird has no gizzard - a specialised pouch behind its stomach - to grind its food, which means the fruit of the berries can be digested without the seeds inside being destroyed." (Australian Geographic) They are the only member of the flowerpecker family in Australia.

Habitat:

Chowing down on a Mistletoe berry at a mini wetlands near the prison boab tree.

Notes:

I was lucky enough to see several Mistletoe bird males hanging around amongst the trees and bushes. I've never seen more than one at any time so this was new! "As the mistletoe has been in Australia for a long time and mistletoebirds for a relatively short time, the mistletoe seed was distributed originally by non-specialized frugivore birds like the honeyeater. Even though the mistletoebird has evolved into a very efficient local distributor of mistletoe seeds, the mistletoebird needs the mistletoe but the mistletoe does not need the mistletoebird." (Wiki)