It has become locally extinct in the urban Sydney area since 1971.
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
At a glance
FamilyHoneyeaters
SizeLarge
RarityCommon
HabitatThe tawny-crowned honeyeater is found from the North Coast of New South Wales through to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, as well as in Victoria and Tasmania.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from August to October.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Marc Anderson
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
20009approx records
4states
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
Brownish above, pale below, with white brow, tan crown, and black cheeks that extend down onto the breast, ending in black stippling. Yellow in primaries and salmon underwing evident in flight. Juvenile brownish above, paler below, with yellow in wing.
Behavior
Call a mournful piping whistle, with some tones recalling Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater.
Gallery
Regional timing
Tasmania
Western Australia
South Australia
Victoria
New South Wales
Australian Capital Territory
Commonly confused with
Western WattlebirdAnthochaera lunulataMedium-large honeyeater found in southwestern Australia, typically in scrub and dry coastal woodlands. Grayish brown overall with fine white streaking; pale tips to tail feathers and chestnut in primary feathers most easily observed in flight. Easily distinguished from Red Wattlebird by the lack of pink wattles below the eye and the lack of yellow lower belly.→Western SpinebillAcanthorhynchus superciliosusSmall, slender bird with thin curved bill, found in wetter forested areas, parks, and gardens of southwestern Western Australia. Young bird plain buff-colored below, brown above. Note white corners in tail, sometimes obvious in flight. An active and fast forager, darting around quickly between flowering trees. Call is a loud, repeated piping.→Gilbert's HoneyeaterMelithreptus chloropsisLight olive above, whitish below, with black head broken by white band behind the eye and narrow white arc above it. Black of head extends to include tiny bit of plumage beneath black bill. Juvenile brown with yellow bill. Compare Brown-headed Honeyeater, which has a complete eyering connected to the neck band. Formerly considered a subspecies of White-naped Honeyeater.→