Helmeted Honeyeater

Victoria's bird emblem is the Helmeted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops cassidix), the largest and most brilliantly coloured of the Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters.

Pure populations of this attractive honeyeater are now restricted to a small area on Woori Yallock Creek near Yellingbo on the outskirts of Melbourne. The Yellingbo State Wildlife Reserve was established to protect the few remaining colonies of 100–150 birds.

The Helmeted Honeyeater is particularly vulnerable to habitat disturbances as it requires a combination of manna and swamp gums, with tea-trees and shrubby bushes alongside grass-lined watercourses.

The birds are about 20 cm in total length and the sexes are similar. The upperparts of the body are olive-grey with the outer wing and tail feathers greenish-yellow. Underparts are yellowish-green with dark streaks.

The sides of the head are glossy black with golden ear-tufts and a yellow throat. Crown and fore-head are golden yellow, with plush-like feathers projecting slightly over the base of the bill and forming a distinctive helmet.