White-eared honeyeater

The white-eared honeyeater was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 as Turdus leucotis. It has been reclassified several times and was previously named Lichenostomus leucotis and Ptilotis leucotis torringtoni. The white-eared honeyeater was previously placed in the genus Lichenostomus, but it was moved to Nesoptilotis after a molecular phylogenetic analysis, published in 2011, showed that the original genus was polyphyletic. ==Description==

The white-eared honeyeater has an olive-green upper and lower body; its wings and tail are a mix of brown, yellow and olive; the crown is dark grey with black streaks; its cheeks and throat are black; its ear-coverts are white. Its iris is red or brown (juvenile); its bill is black and its legs are dark grey. The white-eared honeyeater is a medium-sized honeyeater in length. There is no sexual dimorphism, with males and females looking alike. and have a beak length of approximately . Voice Their voice is deep and mellow but slightly metallic chwok, chwok, chwok-whit and kwitchu, kwitchu; very sharply scratchy, metallic chwik!. ==Distribution and habitat==

The white-eared honeyeater's preferred habitat is in forests, woodlands, heathlands, mallee and dry inland scrublands. The white-eared honeyeater prefers mature vegetation with a dense understory. They are relatively unselective regarding habitat, both floristically and structurally, White-eared honeyeaters can be found in small (< 2 ha) woodland patches. Habitats they do not like are those that are heavily degraded, or have little to no understory. Races There are four recognised races of N. leucotis. Race leucotis is found in eastern Australia from Victoria to central Queensland. Proposals that this subspecies may, in fact, consist of two races, on either side of the Great Dividing Range, have recently been confirmed with the description of race schoddei from mallee woodland on the Eyre Peninsula, west to near the head of the Great Australian Bight, north-west through the Gawler Ranges and the Yellabinna region, at least to Maralinga. Evidence for this is that the populations on the eastern, coastal side of the Great Dividing Range have intense green upperparts, and are light greenish-yellow on the belly, whereas, populations in the western, inland side of the Great Dividing Range are a duller olive colour and become slightly smaller. The Nullarbor Plain separates this race from the race novaenorciae, which is found in Western Australia. The fourth recognised race is thomasi, which is found on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Populations of white-eared honeyeaters found in arid regions and the Mallee, as well as all populations of race novaenorciae, do not need a shrub layer or understory in their habitat. ==Behaviour==

White-eared honeyeaters are usually solitary, but may also be found in small family groups. They can be sedentary, nomadic or locally migratory. The lifespan of the white-eared honeyeater is unknown; however, many species of Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years. It is likely that the white-eared honeyeater is somewhere in this range. Food and feeding White-eared honeyeaters feed on nectar and insects. They are often considered nectarivores, but feed on insects just as much. They feed on nectar during the spring and summer (August - December), but switch to insects for the rest of the year. They prefer trees with soft, peeling and flaking bark, where insects may be present. ==Conservation status==

Although the white-eared honeyeater has a decreasing population, it has an extensive distribution, and is considered to be of least concern on the IUCN Red List. Threats to the white-eared honeyeater include habitat degradation, fire and loss of understory. ==References==