NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Melithreptus brevirostris (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The brown-headed honeyeater (Melithreptus brevirostris) is a species of passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae.
It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.
Wikipedia contributors, Brown-headed honeyeater; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:57:17.289252+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melithreptus brevirostris (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
- Name authority
- (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
- Common name
- Brown-headed Honeyeater
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Melithreptus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyMeliphagidae
- genusMelithreptus Vieillot, 1816
- speciesMelithreptus brevirostris (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melithreptus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-throated HoneyeaterMelithreptus albogularis Gould, 1848 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-chinned HoneyeaterMelithreptus gularis (Gould, 1837) | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-naped HoneyeaterMelithreptus lunatus (Vieillot, 1802) | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gilbert's HoneyeaterMelithreptus chloropsis Gould, 1848 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-headed HoneyeaterMelithreptus affinis (R. Lesson, 1839) | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Strong-billed HoneyeaterMelithreptus validirostris (Gould, 1837) | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=561084 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3ZKN9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.