Varied Honeyeater
Gavicalis versicolor
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyMeliphagidae (Honeyeaters)
- GenusGavicalis (Gavicalis Honeyeaters)
- SpeciesGavicalis versicolor (Varied Honeyeater)
About the Varied Honeyeater
The varied honeyeater (Gavicalis versicolor) is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found in coastal areas of New Guinea and eastern Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.
The varied honeyeater was previously placed in the genus Lichenostomus, but was moved to Gavicalis after molecular phylogenetic analysis, published in 2011, showed that the original genus was polyphyletic. The varied honeyeater has two accepted subspecies which are distributed as follows:
G. v. sonoroides - Raja Ampat Island (northwest of New Guinea), Yapen (Geelvink Bay island, northwest New Guinea), coastal New Guinea (except southwest) through northern New Guinea and Milne Bay islands, and D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago (east of southeast New Guinea).
G. v. versicolor - coastal southern New Guinea, Torres Strait islands and northeast Cape York Peninsula, northeast Queensland (far northeast Australia). Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides
Mimic Honeyeater
Microptilotis analogus
Brown-backed Honeyeater
Ramsayornis modestus
Tawny-breasted Honeyeater
Xanthotis flaviventer
Puff-backed Honeyeater
Meliphaga aruensis
New Guinea Friarbird
Philemon novaeguineae
Olive Honeyeater
Lichmera argentauris
Long-billed Honeyeater
Melilestes megarhynchus
Spotted Honeyeater
Xanthotis polygrammus
Red-throated Myzomela
Myzomela eques
Green-backed Honeyeater
Glycichaera fallax
Streak-headed Honeyeater
Pycnopygius stictocephalus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Varied Honeyeater in Raja Ampat?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Varied Honeyeater sighting in Raja Ampat, based on 246 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Varied Honeyeater in Raja Ampat?
March has the highest sighting rate for Varied Honeyeater in Raja Ampat in our monthly data.