Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Home

Blue-faced Honeyeater

ENTOMYZON CYANOTIS

Quick Facts

Scientific name: Entomyzon cyanotis
Class: Birds
Length: 10 to 13 inches (26 to 32 centimeters)
Weight: 4 ounces (105 grams)
Number of eggs: 2 to 3 eggs
Incubation: 16 days
Conservation status: Least Concern

About

Something borrowed

Blue-faced honeyeaters use abandoned nests from other birds as the foundations for their own. Honeyeaters can build their own round nests of bark and grass, but they prefer to renovate old nests.


A Bananabird

Another name for the blue-faced honeyeater is the “bananabird.” This bird loves fresh bananas and will often eat ripe bananas from plantations.


Baby birds

Honeyeater chicks need to be cared for a long time after they hatch. When the first hatch, they have no feathers, are completely blind, and cannot move. They open their eyes after four days and start having tiny feathers in six days. Both parents are dedicated to taking care of their chicks and feeding the newborns insects, fruit, and nectar for at least 16 days.


Tongue tricks

Blue-faced honeyeaters have long, quick tongues. Their tongues are bristly, like a paintbrush, and are useful for soaking up nectar from flowers. They can empty a flower in one second with ten flicks of their tongues.

 

Conservation

Learn more about our efforts, our conservation partners around the world, and the simple steps you can take to contribute.

Search