ENTOMYZA ALBIPENNIS, Gould.
White-pinioned Honey-eater.
Entomyza albipennis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 169.
Wȕr-ra-luh, Aborigines of Port Essington.
The Entomyza albipennis exhibits so many specific differences from the E. cyanotis, that it is almost impossible for one to be mistaken for the other: in the first place it is somewhat smaller in size, and in the next the tints of the plumage are more strongly contrasted; besides which, the white at the basal portion of the pinions is a character which will at all times distinguish it from its near ally. So far as is yet known, its habitat is confined to the northern coast of Australia, where it is said to be rather abundant, particularly in the neighbourhood of the settlement at Port Essington on the Cobourg Peninsula. Mr. Gilbert states that it “is very shy, and from its being always on the alert, somewhat difficult to get near; it is one of the first birds heard in the morning, and often utters its plaintive peet half-an-hour before daylight; as soon as the sun is fairly above the horizon, its note is immediately changed to a harsh squeaking tone, which is frequently uttered while the bird is on the wing, and repeated at intervals throughout the day; it often takes tolerably long flights, mounting in the air to a considerable height above the trees, and then progressing steadily and horizontally. It is mostly met with in small families of from six to ten in number, inhabiting the topmost branches of the loftiest trees, and is seldom seen on or near the ground.”
The food consists of insects and the pollen of flowers, which are procured from the almost perpetually flowering Eucalypti.
The sexes present little or no difference in the colouring of the plumage, or, when fully adult, in the colouring of the soft parts, such as the naked skin round the eyes, Sec.; immature birds, on the contrary, vary very much in the colouring of the face and bill; in the youthful those parts are saffron-yellow, which chances to rich ultramarine blue in the adult.
The adults have the crown of the head and back of the neck black; lower part of the face, chin and centre of the chest slaty black; a crescent-shaped mark at the occiput, a line from the lower mandible passing down each side of the neck, and all the under surface pure white; upper surface and wings greenish golden olive; primaries brown, the basal half of their inner webs snow-white; tail-feathers brown, tinged with golden olive, all but the two centre ones tipped with white; point and cutting edges of the upper mandible blackish grey; basal half of the culmen horn-colour; remainder of the bill sulphur-yellow; orbits brilliant blue; legs and feet leek-green.
The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird of the natural size.