About Anthochaera phrygia (Shaw, 1794)
Anthochaera phrygia, commonly known as the regent honeyeater, has a glossy black head and neck. Its breast is covered in distinctively contrasting pale yellow speckles, while its wing and tail feathers are patterned with black and bright yellow. This species was once common across wooded areas of eastern Australia, particularly along the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Historically, its range extended as far west as Adelaide, but it is no longer found in South Australia or western Victoria. As of June 2020, the species’ range stretches from north-east Victoria to around the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, though its remaining population is scattered across this area. Most confirmed sightings of the regent honeyeater come from a small number of sites: in north-eastern Victoria, along the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, and on the central coast of New South Wales. In 1999, the three main breeding areas for the species were the Bundarra-Barraba region and Capertee Valley in New South Wales, and north-eastern Victoria. Most of these key breeding sites were impacted by the severe 2019–2020 Australian bushfires, an event that is expected to have a strongly negative impact on the species’ already small wild population.
