This White-plumed Honeyeater looked at me curiously while I figured out what type of bird it was! The name “white-plumed” describes the strip of white between the bird’s head and shoulders:

White-plumed Honeyeaters were reclassified in 2011, moving from Lichenostomus penicillatus to Ptilotula penicillata. The reason was that these birds, along with a few other types of honeyeaters, shared a different ancestor from others in the Lichenostomus group.

Common name: White-plumed Honeyeater
Scientific name: Ptilotula penicillata, formerly Lichenostomus penicillatus
Approximate length: 15-17 cm
Date spotted: 22 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park, New South Wales, Australia: 31°33’33.1″S 147°10’51.7″E

This is my second-ever White-plumed Honeyeater, spotted this time in Denman NSW, about three hours’ drive north west of my usual haunts on the east coast of Australia. The picture shows nicely the white stripe that gives the bird the name “white-plumed”. As I remarked when posting my first sighting of a White-plumed Honeyeater, I’d expect a grander plume to match the name. Something along the lines of an ostrich’s tail feathers, perhaps!

Common name: White-plumed Honeyeater
Scientific name: Lichenostomus penicillatus
Approximate length: 15-17 cm
Date spotted: 12 September 2025 (spring)
Location: Denman, NSW, Australia: 32°23’35.5″S 150°41’08.9″E

White-plumed Honeyeaters are common and wide-spread, according to my bird book, but this is the first one I’ve identified. I spotted it at Mary Flynn Campground on the Turon River in New South Wales. It’s an unassuming little bird, with plumage of soft greys and yellows, and quite large eyes relatively speaking.

In the photo, below the yellow face, you can just make out the white stripe that gives the bird the name “white-plumed”. Personally, I’d expected a grander plume to match the name, but there you go.

Common name: White-plumed Honeyeater
Scientific name: Lichenostomus penicillatus
Approximate length: 15-17 cm
Date spotted: 17 May 2025 (autumn)
Location: Mary Flynn Campground on the Turon River, NSW, Australia: 33°04’46.6″S 149°23’55.6″E