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Dicaeum hirundinaceum
The small Mistletoebird is the only Australian representative of the flowerpecker family, Dicaeidae, and is also known as the Australian Flowerpecker. Males have a glossy blue-black head, wings and upperparts, a bright red throat and chest, a white belly with a central dark streak and a bright red undertail. Females are grey above, white below, with a grey streak on the belly, and a paler red undertail. Young birds resemble females but are paler and have an orange, rather than dark, bill. These birds are swift and erratic fliers, moving singly or in pairs, usually high in or above the canopy.
The Mistletoebird is found wherever mistletoe grows and is important in the dispersal of this plant species
Feeding: The Mistletoebird is highly adapted to its diet of mistletoe berries. It lacks the muscular gizzard (food-grinding organ) of other birds, instead having a simple digestive system through which the berries pass quickly, digesting the fleshy outer parts and excreting the sticky seeds onto branches. The seed can then germinate quickly into a new plant. In this way, the Mistletoebird ensures a constant supply of its main food. It will also catch insects, mainly to provide food for its young. Breeding: The Mistletoebird builds a silky, pear-shaped nest with a slit-like entrance, made from matted plant down and spider web, which is suspended from a twig in the outer foliage of a tree. The female alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs, while both sexes feed the young.
24 Comments
Thanks Shanna
Gorgeous Mac.
Thanks, AliHp, Noel, Satyen & Jared
Thanks Karen L
Beautiful!
Thanks Leanne, interesting little guys aren't they
Really beautiful capture MacC & great info too. I learnt something today that i never knew :)
Thanks Yuko
Stunning capture! Just beautiful!
Thanks Ashish, Nuwan & Jeannette
gorgeous !
Sweet spotting...
I think with a converter you need a tripod as it gets more difficult to not get shaken photos.
Nice shot :)
ok. just wondering. thanks. by the way great photo!
I would recomend it Kalee, I haven't had any issues
other than extra zoom i mean
hey. even i have the 70-300. i would like to know whether adding a converter would give some side effects to the photos
70-300 with a 1.4 converter Jared
What size lens did you use to shoot this picture?
nice...
Beautiful spot!
Thanks Satyen & Jared
Beautiful Mac!
Great Photo!