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Pied Honeyeater (Certhionyx variegatus)

The Pied Honeyeater is a small, nomadic honeyeater of semi-arid shrubland and grassy woodland across inland Australia. It depends on flowering shrubs, particularly emu bush and Grevillea, so clearing, fragmentation, fire and changes to flowering resources can affect its use of project sites.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The species is nomadic, so local presence can vary with flowering conditions. The breeding period is documented as July to November, but the supplied sources do not provide monthly peaks for breeding, young or movement.

Monthly presence can change with flowering conditions. Survey timing should be adjusted using local flowering observations and recent records.

  • Breeding, display and laying: Breeding season is reported as July to November. A monthly peak is not specified.
  • Young dependent: Dependent young may be present during the breeding period, but the supplied sources do not give nestling, fledging or dependency durations.
  • Nomadic movement and local presence: The species is nomadic and partly migratory. Local movements are linked to flowering resources, and no monthly movement peak is provided.
  • Flowering resource use: Nectar availability varies with flowering, rainfall and drought. Emu bush is identified as an important winter food in western NSW, but exact flowering months are not supplied.
  • Highest clearing risk: July to November overlaps the documented breeding season. Clearing during these months has the greatest identified risk of affecting displaying adults, eggs or dependent young.

Identification

The Pied Honeyeater is a small honeyeater, usually detected in open shrubland or woodland with flowering plants. Males are more distinctive than females because of their strong black and white pattern.

Adults are about 15 to 20 cm long and weigh about 26.3 g.

Adult males are black and white, with a white wing bar, white chest and white upper tail. Males also have a distinct blue patch of bare skin below the eye.

Females are greyish-brown, with a pale chest and dark brown speckling on the back and wings.

Male field marks: Black and white plumage, white wing bar, white chest and upper tail, and blue bare skin below the eye

Female field marks: Greyish-brown plumage, pale chest and dark brown wing and back speckling

Size: 15 to 20 cm

Identification: Distinguishing features

The combination of the male's black and white plumage, white wing bar and blue facial skin is the most useful identification feature during a site inspection.

Females and less distinctive birds should be identified with care because the supplied sources do not provide a comparison table for similar honeyeaters. Confirm records with photographs, diagnostic plumage features and calls where possible.

  • Record sex, plumage, bare facial skin, wing bar and habitat at each observation.
  • Use photographs rather than relying on size alone when the bird is a female or is seen briefly in dense shrub cover.

Identification: Calls and field signs

The species is usually silent except during the breeding season, when calls may assist detection.

The supplied sources do not describe diagnostic tracks, scats, nests, eggs, roosts or other non visual field signs. They also do not provide a species specific nest description.

  • Include call playback only where it is permitted and where it will not disturb breeding birds.
  • Treat a silent survey result cautiously outside the breeding season, particularly in suitable flowering shrubland.

Distribution: National range

The Pied Honeyeater has a broad Australian distribution and uses inland habitats irregularly in response to flowering conditions. It is recorded across several inland New South Wales bioregions, including sites in the Gwydir wetlands.

The supplied sources identify the species as Australian and give a mapped range of 5,122,091.98 km². Breeding records in the cited distribution data extend from about 38.5 degrees south to 17.4 degrees south.

The NSW pollinator guidance lists the species from the Mulga Lands, Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields, Murray Darling Depression, Cobar Peneplain, Darling Riverine Plains and Riverina, as well as the NSW South Western Slopes. These bioregions occur across inland New South Wales and adjoining inland parts of other states.

The supplied documents do not provide a complete state by state distribution map. A project assessment should therefore check current state atlases and local records rather than assume absence from a site outside the listed NSW bioregions.

Biogeographic domain: Australian

Mapped range: 5,122,091.98 km²

Reported breeding latitude: 38.5 degrees south to 17.4 degrees south

NSW bioregions listed: Mulga Lands, Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields, Murray Darling Depression, Cobar Peneplain, Darling Riverine Plains, Riverina and NSW South Western Slopes

Distribution: Records and population information

The Pied Honeyeater has been recorded in the Gwydir Wetlands, where it is identified as vulnerable under the NSW listing used in the Ramsar site information sheet.

The supplied documents do not give a national population estimate, local abundance estimate or quantified population trend. The Gwydir Wetlands record should be treated as evidence of habitat use, not as a defined population stronghold.

NSW status: Vulnerable

Commonwealth status in supplied record: Not listed under the EPBC Act

Population size and trend: Not reported in the supplied documents

Habitat: Habitat types

The species uses semi-arid shrubland, grassy woodland and other semi-open inland habitats. Habitat value is strongly linked to flowering shrubs and the continuity of feeding areas.

The main habitat types listed for the species are semi-arid shrubland and grassy woodland. Broader habitat descriptions include arid savanna, shrubland and semi-open habitats.

In far south western New South Wales, relevant vegetation settings include chenopod shrublands and mallee woodlands. The species account specifically identifies flowering shrubs in these settings as important for feeding.

Primary habitat: Semi-arid shrubland and grassy woodland

Broader habitat descriptions: Arid savanna, shrubland and semi-open habitats

NSW vegetation settings noted in the supplied material: Chenopod shrublands and mallee woodlands

Habitat: Habitat structure

Retain flowering shrubs, connected patches of native vegetation and areas of grassy or shrubby understorey. Large areas of intact vegetation are more likely to provide feeding resources for a nomadic nectar feeder than isolated small patches.

The supplied sources do not give a species specific elevation limit, minimum patch size, canopy height or shrub density. They also do not identify a specific dependence on tree hollows, fallen timber or water bodies.

  • Map flowering emu bush, Grevillea and other native nectar plants before clearing.
  • Retain links between shrubland and grassy woodland patches where practicable.
  • Avoid removing isolated flowering shrubs until their use by honeyeaters has been assessed.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Pied Honeyeater is primarily a nectar feeder that moves between flowering resources. Feeding habitat can therefore change quickly across inland sites as shrubs flower in response to rainfall and season.

The species is described as a nectarivore and feeds primarily on nectar. The NSW pollinator guidance identifies emu bush, Eremophila species, as the main winter food in western New South Wales.

Grevillea species are also identified as important flowering shrubs. The broader source data records fruit as part of the diet, but does not quantify its importance.

Main food: Nectar

Key western NSW winter food: Emu bush, Eremophila species

Other named food plants: Grevillea species

Other recorded food: Fruit, with its importance not quantified in the supplied sources

  • Record flowering Eremophila and Grevillea plants within and near the work area.
  • Inspect flowering shrubs immediately before clearing because food availability may differ from the result of a general vegetation assessment.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour and range

The species forages in semi-open shrubland and grassy woodland and is described as a nectar gleaner. Its nomadic movement allows it to track flowering resources over broad areas.

The supplied documents do not provide a typical daily foraging distance, home range or feeding territory size. A local absence during a survey does not rule out later use if flowering conditions change.

Foraging mode: Nectar gleaning

Movement pattern: Nomadic and partly migratory

Foraging range: Not quantified in the supplied documents

  • Assess nearby flowering habitat, not only the vegetation proposed for direct clearing.
  • Schedule repeat observations where flowering is seasonal or highly variable, particularly before clearing during the July to November breeding period.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding has been recorded or is expected during the warmer part of the year, from July to November. The supplied documents provide clutch and maturity information but do not describe the nest site or incubation period.

Males are mainly recorded displaying aerially during courtship. The breeding season given for far south western New South Wales is July to November.

The supplied sources do not state the incubation period, nestling period, fledging period or whether both adults feed the young. They also do not provide a species specific description of the nest.

Breeding season: July to November

Clutch size: 2.4 to 2.6 eggs on average, equivalent to about 2 to 3 eggs

Age at first reproduction: About 1.3 years

Incubation: Not reported in the supplied documents

Gestation: Not applicable to this bird

Lifespan: Average age 2.9 years and maximum recorded age 10.671 years in the supplied data

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat and project controls

Breeding habitat should include native shrubland or grassy woodland with suitable flowering resources and enough vegetation cover for nesting. The exact nest substrate and nest height are not given in the supplied documents.

Clearing during July to November presents the greatest identified risk because it overlaps the breeding season. Nest searches should be undertaken by a suitably qualified person where birds are present and clearing cannot be avoided during this period.

  • Retain native flowering shrubs and connected vegetation around known records where practicable.
  • Avoid clearing occupied habitat during July to November where programme constraints allow.
  • If clearing in the breeding season cannot be avoided, inspect suitable shrubland immediately before works and apply the project fauna management procedure to active nests or dependent young.

Sheltering habitat: Known shelter features

Specific refuge and roost structures have not been described for the Pied Honeyeater in the supplied documents. The species is associated with semi-open shrubland and grassy woodland, so intact native shrubs are the most defensible shelter feature to retain.

The supplied sources do not report dependence on tree hollows, caves, burrows, dense spinifex, fallen timber or particular roost trees.

Native shrub cover and connected semi-open vegetation are likely to provide resting and concealment opportunities, but the documents do not give a required shrub height, cover density or refuge size.

Hollows, burrows and roosts: No species specific dependence reported

Known refuge size: Not reported

  • Retain native shrub patches and vegetation links within and beside the work area.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of shrubs that are flowering or are being used by birds for perching or concealment.
  • Do not infer absence from a lack of nests or other shelter signs because species specific non visual signs are not described.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main documented risks are loss and degradation of flowering habitat, fragmentation, inappropriate fire and reduced nectar availability during drought. These risks are relevant to clearing and construction because the species is mobile but depends on scattered, seasonally available food plants.

Clearing of native vegetation removes feeding and breeding habitat. Fragmentation reduces the amount and continuity of habitat available to a nomadic nectar feeder and can separate flowering patches.

Loss of mature trees and degradation of feeding and roosting habitat are identified as broad threats to threatened nectar feeding animals in NSW. The Pied Honeyeater's key food plants are shrubs, so clearing of flowering shrubland should be assessed separately from tree removal.

  • Avoid clearing flowering Eremophila, Grevillea and other native nectar shrubs where practicable.
  • Keep retained habitat connected to nearby native vegetation and avoid creating narrow isolated remnants.
  • Include temporary construction compounds, access tracks and easements in the habitat loss assessment.

Threats: Fire, grazing and invasive species

Inappropriate fire regimes can alter vegetation structure and composition and reduce the availability of flowering shrubs. Drought and climate change can also alter flowering timing and nectar production.

The NSW threatened species guidance identifies reduced habitat condition from livestock, goats and rabbits, as well as predation by feral cats and foxes, as broad threats to fauna using semi-arid and mallee habitats. The supplied documents do not quantify the effect of each threat on Pied Honeyeater populations.

  • Avoid introducing high frequency or high intensity fire into retained shrubland without an approved ecological fire plan.
  • Control grazing and browsing pressure where it prevents shrub regeneration.
  • Manage feral cats, foxes, goats and rabbits in accordance with the site pest management plan.

Threats: Roads, hydrology and disease

The supplied documents do not identify road mortality, disease or hydrology change as species specific threats for the Pied Honeyeater. Hydrology change should still be considered where it affects the flowering shrubs and woodland communities used by the species.

Any project that changes floodplain water availability, groundwater conditions or drainage should assess whether the change could reduce flowering or regeneration of native food plants.

  • Check whether new roads or drainage works will remove or isolate flowering shrub habitat.
  • Record any injured or dead honeyeaters found during works and refer suspected disease events to the relevant wildlife authority.
  • Do not assume that a wetland or floodplain is irrelevant to the species where adjacent shrubland or woodland provides flowering habitat.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat and flowering-resource assessment

Pied honeyeaters are nomadic nectar-feeding birds that may be present when flowering shrubs provide food. Surveys should target suitable flowering habitat and record habitat condition, not rely only on a single site visit.

Map semi-arid shrubland, grassy woodland, emu bush, Grevillea and other flowering shrubs within and adjoining the disturbance footprint.

Prioritise areas with active flowering, because the species uses nectar resources that can vary across seasons and locations.

Record the extent, density and flowering condition of emu bush and Grevillea, together with connected patches of native vegetation.

Typical size: Around 20 cm

Habitat: Semi-arid shrubland and grassy woodland

Movement pattern: Nomadic

  • Inspect the site during daylight before any bird survey.
  • Record all Pied honeyeater sightings, feeding observations, calls, flock size, sex where apparent and the plant being used.
  • Photograph and map flowering patches, mature shrubs, woodland edges and proposed clearing limits.

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal bird searches

Use systematic searches along the full disturbance footprint, flowering patches and retained vegetation adjoining the works area.

Search when birds are likely to be feeding, and repeat the search when flowering conditions or recent rainfall indicate that nectar resources have changed.

The supplied documents do not specify a Pied honeyeater transect length, search time, number of visits or minimum survey area, so set these in the project survey design according to the footprint, habitat extent, season and detectability.

Breeding period noted in the NSW guide: July to November

Activity: Diurnal and terrestrial

  • Walk slowly through suitable habitat and scan flowering shrubs, shrub edges and nearby woodland.
  • Pause regularly to listen for calls and inspect birds moving between flowering shrubs.
  • Record survey date, start and finish time, weather, wind, cloud, recent rainfall, flowering intensity, observer effort and the area searched.
  • Avoid disturbing feeding birds or approaching active breeding activity closely enough to cause movement or abandonment.

Survey methodology: 3. Targeted breeding and follow-up searches

During July to November, inspect suitable flowering shrubland and woodland for repeated adult activity, display flights, territorial behaviour, nesting material and dependent young.

The supplied documents describe mainly aerial displays and give no species-specific nest-search method or nest survey effort, so use an experienced ornithologist where breeding activity is suspected.

Repeat surveys where the first visit occurs outside the flowering period, after a substantial change in flowering, or where nearby records indicate that the species may be using the site.

  • Keep observers and machinery away from suspected breeding areas until the ecologist has assessed the risk.
  • Record the location of repeated sightings and any evidence of breeding, rather than assuming that an absence on one visit means absence from the site.
  • Do not use playback unless it is specifically justified in the approved survey plan.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Prepare a written survey design that states the footprint, adjoining habitat assessed, number and timing of visits, observer hours, weather conditions, flowering condition and detection limitations.
  • Use experienced bird observers who can identify the Pied honeyeater and distinguish it from other honeyeaters recorded in the region.
  • Do not claim that the species is absent unless the survey effort, timing, habitat coverage and flowering conditions support that conclusion.
  • Submit confirmed records and negative survey information where required to the relevant state wildlife database, including the NSW BioNet Atlas for NSW projects.
  • Retain coordinates, photographs, field sheets, tracks, acoustic files where collected and the name of the person who verified each record.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan works around the species' mobile use of flowering habitat. The main site-planning objective is to retain feeding shrubs and connected native vegetation wherever practicable.

Avoid clearing flowering emu bush, Grevillea and other native shrubs used for nectar wherever practicable.

Retain continuous patches of semi-arid shrubland and grassy woodland, including links between retained patches.

Treat flowering patches as active feeding habitat even if Pied honeyeaters are not seen during the pre-clearance survey.

  • Use the smallest practicable disturbance footprint and place access tracks, compounds and stockpiles in cleared or degraded areas.
  • Set site-specific no-go buffers around retained flowering shrubs, suspected breeding areas and connected native vegetation.
  • Mark retained habitat, exclusion zones and access routes on plans and on the ground before machinery enters the site.
  • Prevent unnecessary removal of mature shrubs, fallen timber and other native ground cover in retained areas.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

The supplied records show the Pied honeyeater as vulnerable in NSW and not listed under the Commonwealth status columns in the cited material.

Confirm the current Commonwealth and state listing before works, because a change in listing, impacts to another protected species or impacts to a protected ecological community may alter approval requirements.

Plan the timing of clearing to avoid the July to November breeding period where practicable, particularly in sites with active flowering and repeated bird activity.

NSW status in the supplied records: Vulnerable

Commonwealth status in the supplied records: Not listed in the EPBC Act column

  • Obtain advice on whether an EPBC Act referral is required for the current proposal, even though the cited species records do not show a Commonwealth listing.
  • Obtain any required NSW threatened species approvals, licences and local authority consents before disturbance.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat to retain, survey findings, clearing limits, fauna spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers and reporting requirements.
  • Stage clearing so that retained flowering habitat remains available while each work area is completed.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete the approved pre-clearance survey shortly before works, with particular attention to flowering shrubs and any breeding activity.
  • Fence or flag exclusion areas so machinery operators can identify them without relying on verbal instructions.
  • Brief all workers on the species' appearance, habitat, reporting chain and the location of retained habitat.
  • Confirm the fauna spotter catcher's authority to stop work and the contact details for the project ecologist, wildlife carer and veterinary service.
  • Remove waste, loose netting and other entanglement hazards from the work area before clearing starts.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter coordination

Use active supervision during clearing and construction. The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence of work with the operator and stop the activity when an animal or unexpected habitat feature is found.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, signs and marked habitat before work starts each day.
  • Complete a daily fauna briefing covering the work zone, machinery movements, retained habitat and stop-work process.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher in a position where the operator can see and respond to instructions.
  • Clear in stages, starting with low-risk vegetation where practicable, and allow birds and other fauna to move towards retained habitat.
  • Do not fell or push vegetation while the spotter catcher cannot safely inspect the work area.

During habitat disturbance: Animal encounters and stop-work triggers

  • Stop work if a Pied honeyeater is inside the active clearing zone, is injured, is trapped, or shows repeated use of a suspected nest or breeding area.
  • Allow an uninjured bird to leave without pursuit when it can move safely to retained habitat.
  • Do not catch, handle or relocate the bird unless the person is authorised, trained and acting under the fauna management plan and relevant permit.
  • If relocation is required, use nearby suitable retained habitat with flowering shrubs and avoid moving the bird farther than necessary.
  • Place an injured bird in a suitable dark, quiet and ventilated container only by an authorised person, and transfer it promptly to a veterinarian or registered wildlife carer.
  • Resume work only after the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist have assessed the animal, habitat and control measures.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling and records

  • Inspect flowering shrubs, dense shrub cover, woodland trees, fallen timber, rocks and ground cover before they are removed or disturbed.
  • Retain habitat features inside exclusion zones and do not place spoil, materials or machinery against them.
  • If a hollow-bearing tree, active nest, fallen log or other fauna shelter feature is found unexpectedly, stop work and obtain an ecologist's direction before removal.
  • Record each sighting, capture, relocation, injury, death, nest, stop-work event and release location.
  • Record the date, time, coordinates, habitat, cause of the encounter, people involved, action taken and final outcome.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Close out the clearing area only after fauna checks and environmental controls are complete. Continue to protect retained flowering habitat because the species may use the site after works finish.

  • Inspect the cleared area and the edges of retained habitat for injured, trapped or displaced birds before the area is released to the next work stage.
  • Check that no fallen material, fencing, netting, pits, pipes or construction waste remains capable of trapping fauna.
  • Confirm that all approved clearing limits were followed and photograph the completed boundary.
  • Repeat a bird and habitat inspection where clearing occurred during July to November or while flowering resources were active.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and maintenance

Monitor retained flowering shrubs, connected vegetation and any rehabilitation areas during the period specified in the fauna management plan.

Use the same mapped locations and recording method across monitoring visits so changes in flowering, habitat condition and Pied honeyeater use can be compared.

  • Maintain exclusion fencing and no-go markers until the responsible environmental officer confirms that they are no longer needed.
  • Control weeds and prevent new access tracks, stockpiles or grazing pressure from degrading retained habitat.
  • Record Pied honeyeater use, flowering condition, rehabilitation survival and any new threats.
  • Report incidents, non-compliance, threatened species records and monitoring results to the relevant regulator, land manager and state wildlife database as required.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and compliance close-out

  • Assess offset requirements under the applicable state approval, planning instrument or Commonwealth approval if residual impacts remain after avoidance and mitigation.
  • Document the area of habitat cleared, the area retained, the area restored, flowering resources affected and all fauna incidents.
  • Keep survey, clearing, relocation, rehabilitation and monitoring records for the period required by the approval conditions.

Rehabilitation actions: Planting and habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore feeding habitat rather than only stabilise soil. The priority is to re-establish connected native shrubland and grassy woodland with reliable flowering resources.

Plant local native emu bush, Eremophila species, where suitable for the site, because the NSW pollinator guidance identifies emu bush as the main winter nectar resource for Pied honeyeaters in western NSW.

Use locally appropriate Grevillea species and other native flowering shrubs identified through the pre-disturbance survey and regional vegetation community information.

Restore a mix of shrubs, native grasses and woodland structure rather than creating isolated rows of shrubs.

Pied honeyeater winter nectar resource noted in the guidance: Emu bush, Eremophila species

Habitat types listed for the species: Semi-arid shrubland and grassy woodland

  • Connect rehabilitation areas to retained shrubland and grassy woodland wherever practicable.
  • Use planting densities and locations that allow shrubs to mature and flower, while following the approved local restoration design.
  • Retain naturally regenerating native shrubs and protect them from machinery, grazing and unnecessary slashing.
  • Do not plant species that are invasive or unsuitable for the local soil, rainfall and fire regime.

Rehabilitation actions: Shelter, ground cover and threats

  • Leave suitable fallen logs, woody debris, rocks and native ground cover in rehabilitation areas unless they create a documented safety or fire-management conflict.
  • Control weeds that compete with native shrubs and reduce flowering habitat.
  • Manage total grazing pressure so planted and naturally regenerating shrubs can survive and reach flowering age.
  • Control feral cats and foxes in accordance with the land manager's pest program where they threaten native fauna.
  • Manage fire frequency and intensity to retain mature shrubs and a varied understorey, using the approved ecological fire plan.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

  • Monitor plant survival, native shrub cover, emu bush and Grevillea establishment, weed cover, grazing impacts and connectivity with retained habitat.
  • Record flowering onset, flowering intensity and Pied honeyeater observations during monitoring visits.
  • Use the approved rehabilitation targets and comparison sites to assess whether habitat condition is improving.
  • Replace failed plantings and repair exclusion fencing where monitoring identifies losses.
  • Continue monitoring until the responsible ecologist and approval authority accept that the rehabilitation area is stable and provides suitable native flowering habitat.

Sources