Breeding and bathing is booming for Brown-backed Honeyeaters in Townsville Town Common Conservation Park this year and no more so than in the past three months. Seems conditions throughout the year - particularly those relating to the present high water levels - have suited them above major honeyeater rivals, Browns, and lesser competition from such as Yellow, White-throated, Rufous and Black-chinned species.
Brown-backeds have barely built, bred, raised and farewelled one set of young before they're building again nearby and beginning over again. Which effort calls for great amounts of foraging - almost entirely for insects - and, perhaps somehow related, much more time bathing than rival species.
Interestingly in 12 years of birding in Tyto Wetlands at Ingham I never saw such a breeding boom and its consequent surge in numbers and reduction in sightings of other honeyeaters. Rather, the species would vanish at times, returning, usually, when paperbarks burst into flower. 2023? We must wait and see.
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