Acanthagenys
| Spiny-cheeked honeyeater | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Meliphagidae |
| Genus: |
Acanthagenys Gould, 1838 |
| Species: | A. rufogularis |
| Binomial name | |
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Acanthagenys rufogularis Gould, 1838 |
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The spiny-cheeked honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis) is the only species in the genus Acanthagenys. It is large, for a honeyeater, ranging from 22 to 27 centimeters and weighing around 52 grams. The birds are sociable, aggressive, and often observed foraging in large flocks.
The honeyeater is mainly frugivorous, but will also eat nectar, blossoms, insects, reptiles, and young birds. Its habitat includes deserts, coastal scrubland, and dry woodlands. It is also found in mangroves and orchards. Its range includes most of Australia except for Tasmania, tropical Northern areas, the Southeastern coast.
The spiny-cheeked honeyeater, Acanthagenys rufogularis is a medium sized bird ranging from 22 to 27 cm in length. Its crown is speckled dark grey on brown plumage. The juvenile bird has a characteristic yellow cheek sash, although this is less pronounced in the adult bird where predominantly the cheek is white with a grey and/or brown streak under the cheek.
Its beak is long and straight with a black tip and a fleshy red or pink colour towards the chin and up to the gape. The characteristic face pattern includes a long dark stipe through the eyes to the ear coverts. The breast is a creamy-white with short browny streaks. The throat is often a light brown or cinnamon, sometimes extending from the beak to the upper breast. The wings feathers are a mottled dark olive brown to grey with white edges. The tail has similar colouring but the tips of the tail feathers are white. The under-tail coverts are white or on some birds, light grey often streaked.
There seems to be an amount of variability in the bird’s appearance in many bird of this species. One example is on the Mornington Peninsula located on the eastern coast of Port Phillip Bay in Victoria where the birds have darker bellies. The Juvenile birds of the species have a brown Iris and the facial skin is paler on the beak.
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Wikipedia