Survival of Brown Honeyeaters in South-east Queensland

Abstract

During 14 years of banding at Wellington Point, south-east Queensland, 1759 Brown Honeyeaters Lichmera indistincta were banded with 12.2% recaptured or recovered subsequently. Mean annual survival rates calculated by the Jolly-Seber method varied considerably from year to year with high standard errors but both the Jolly-Seber and Chapman-Robson methods gave mean survival rates of 0.56. Adult Brown Honeyeaters with 'black gapes' (males) had higher survival rates than those with 'yellow gapes' (females). Seven birds survived for over six years, the greatest longevity being 10 years 11 months. Survival rates for the small Brown Honeyeater (13 g) appear to be high compared with many other small passennes.