Mistletoebird

Scientific name: Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Meaning of name:

Dicaeum is from the Greek word dicairon, meaning an Indian bird. Hirundinaceum is from the Latin word hirundinaceus, meaning like a swallow.

Aboriginal Name:

Moonidjidong (moon’ee’chee’dawng).

Distribution:

Widespread throughout mainland Australia.

Description:

Up to 11 centimetres long with an 18 centimetre wingspan.

Notes:

The furthest distance recorded by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme for this species of bird to travel is 51 km. The oldest bird recorded was still alive when its band was read in October 2007, 9 years 8.3 months after being banded (information as at 8 July 2018).

References:

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Various contributors.

What Bird is That? Neville W Cayley. 1978

Aboriginal names of bird species in south-west Western Australia, with suggestions for their adoption into common usage. Ian Abbott. 2009. Conservation Science Western Australia Journal. Volume 7 No 2 https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/Journals/080559/080559-07.015.pdf

Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/science/abbbs/abbbs-search.html

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/8f2d4aeb-50eb-438f-a145-5f12e356ffd8