
CONSERVATION BACKGROUND
A subspecies of the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, the Helmeted Honeyeater is the Bird Emblem of Victoria. It lives in dense riparian vegetation at low altitudes (20 -120 m above sea level) which receive regular rainfall, and feeds on invertebrates, lerps (insect larvae covers), honeydews, manna, nectar and sap.
Helmeted Honeyeaters were once patchily distributed from Healesville to south Gippsland, but populations declined throughout the 1900s due to habitat destruction (including vegetation clearing, drainage and fire). The remaining wild populations are now confined to less than 10km².
Since 1989, the Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Team has made intensive efforts to secure these remaining wild populations. Zoos Victoria has worked with the Recovery Team to found and maintain a captive breeding colony for Helmeted Honeyeaters, and several wild colonies have been successfully established from captive-released birds.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 – Endangered
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 – Threatened
DSE Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria 2007 – Critically Endangered
The primary threats to the Helmeted Honeyeater relate to its small population size and confinement to a small and isolated area. The wild population is very vulnerable to catastrophic events (e.g. wildfire or drought) which could wipe out the entire wild population. Other threatening processes include:
RECOVERY PROGRAM
The long-term aim of the Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Program is to achieve a stable population of at least 1000 individuals in at least ten separate but interconnected colonies along several creek systems in the mid-Yarra and Western Port catchments.
The immediate objectives of the Recovery Plan are to:
CONSERVATION PARTNERS
Members of the Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Team include:
Intensive research by the Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Team is focused on sustaining the last two wild populations of this Critically Endangered species.
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