below is a photo of a White Eared Honeyeater – Lichenostomus leucotis photographed near Geranium S.A, this is the form i have in my reference books with a black face, the second photo i assume is the same species of bird, but it has a yellow face?, it was photographed near Wilkawatt S.A, approx 20 klms from the first pic, is this the same species? and if so could there be two forms? a black faced and a yellow faced? or is this a male and female, i have seen many of this species but only ever the black faced.
Thanks Matthew
Black faced Form
Yellow faced form
I think the 2nd one has a lot of pollen on its face.
Juvenile bird. "Duller and olive green crown" according to Pizzey and Knight; The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia 9th Edition.
Nice photos.
Ok thanks with the ID, i initially thought of pollen on the face, but there are currently no flowering plant species, there was some Square Fruited Mallee with old flowering buds but not with pollen, all other Eucalypt species are non flowering at the moment, and the Golden Wattles are currently non flowered until early September so i knew it wasnt pollen, this particular bird was catching insects in the branches.
Thanks Matthew
It may be a juvenile, but the yellow is predominately on the face(forehead & chin), not the crown.