The regent honeyeater is Australia’s most threatened songbird. Once common across south-eastern Australia, including major cities, its population has collapsed due to widespread land clearing. Fewer than 400 birds remain, and the species is now listed as Critically Endangered.
Regent honeyeaters rely on flowering eucalypts for food, especially yellow box and mugga ironbark trees. They move across large areas to follow flowering events and breed where food is available.
Photo: David Stowe
Photo: David Stowe
Why are they in trouble?
Habitat loss
Clearing of woodland has removed much of the flowering trees regent honeyeaters depend on.
Food shortages
The birds rely on irregular flowering events, making them vulnerable when key trees fail to flower.
Small population size
With so few birds left, even small losses can have a big impact on survival.
Photo: David Stowe
Why are they difficult to study?
Extremely rare
With fewer than 400 birds remaining, sightings are uncommon.
Moves long distances
Regent honeyeaters travel widely to follow flowering trees, making them hard to track.
Live across a huge area
Their range covers more than half a million square kilometres, limiting regular monitoring.
What are we doing?
Research and Monitoring
We are running the first coordinated, national monitoring program for regent honeyeaters. Using habitat models and past sightings, we have set up over 1,000 survey sites across priority areas. These surveys track bird numbers, nesting activity and flowering of key food trees to better understand where and when regent honeyeaters survive and breed.
Future research
Future work focuses on improving breeding success and long-term survival. This includes monitoring nests, studying competition with other birds, tracking movements, analysing genetics, and understanding how song changes in very small populations. Together, this research helps guide habitat restoration, protection and recovery actions to prevent extinction.