Grey-eared Honeyeater

The grey-eared honeyeater is 13 to 17 cm long with the males being larger than the females. The plumage is mainly dull green-brown above and grey with an olive tint below. The cheeks are silvery-grey, and the crown is dark grey. The black bill is long and slightly downcurved; the legs and feet are blue-grey. Juveniles are paler than the adults without the silvery cheeks. They are noisy birds which begin calling before dawn. They have a harsh tchoo-tchoo-tchoo call and a warbling song.

It is a common bird across most of its range and occurs in the lowlands and low hills in a variety of habitats, including forest, scrub, mangroves, and gardens. There are five subspecies; the nominate subspecies L. i. incana is found on Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia. L. i. poliotis and L. i. mareensis are found on the Loyalty Islands to the north-east of New Caledonia. L. i. flavotincta and L. i. griseoviridis occur in Vanuatu.

Grey-eared honeyeaters feed from the shrub layer up to the canopy, moving from branch to branch in search of flowers from which they take nectar and pollen. They also feed on insects and spiders, searching among leaves or making short flights into the air to catch them. They will sometimes hover in front of flowers or spider webs looking for food.