Scarlet myzomela

Myzomela sanguinolenta

Photo by Andy Mackie (Flickr)

Common name:
scarlet myzomela (en); melífago-escarlate (pt); myzomèle écarlate (fr); mielero escarlata (es); scharlachhonigfresser (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Meliphagidae

Range:
The scarlet myzomela is found along the east coast of Australia, from Cooktown, Queensland to Gippsland, Victoria. It is also found in Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Lesser Sundas, Indonesia and in New Caledonia.

Size:
These birds are 9-11 cm long and weigh 8 g.

Habitat:
The scarlet myzomela is mostly found in tropical and temperate open forests and woodlands, favouring areas with sparse understory and located near wetlands. They also use rainforests and mangroves, dry savannas, scrublands, rural gardens and urban areas.

Diet:
They feed mainly on nectar and sometimes on fruit and insects.

Breeding:
Scarlet myzomelas breed in July-January. They are monogamous and build a small cup-shaped nest, made of fine bark and grass bound with spider webs and lined with fine plant materials. The nest is suspended from an horizontal branch or in a fork. The female lays 2 eggs, which she incubates alone for 12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12 days after hatching. Each pair can raise up to 3 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.