| Meliphaga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lewin's honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Meliphagidae |
| Genus: | Meliphaga Lewin, 1808 |
| Type species | |
| Meliphaga chrysotis [1] Lewin, 1808 | |
Meliphaga is a genus of birds in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae.
The genus was introduced by the English artist John Lewin in 1808. [2] The name Meliphaga combines the Ancient Greek meli meaning "honey" and phagos meaning eating. [3] The type species is Lewin's honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii). [4] [5]
In 2019 molecular phylogenetic studies found that Meliphaga was paraphyletic with the monotypic genus Oreornis, containing the orange-cheeked honeyeater, embedded within it. To created monophyletic genera, the genus was split up and species moved into the resurrected genera Territornis and Microptilotis, leaving just three species in Meliphaga. [6] [7] In 2025 the AviList team instead adopted a broader Meliphaga that contained 17 species and included the orange-cheeked honeyeater. [8]
The genus contains 17 species: [8]
- Puff-backed honeyeater, Meliphaga aruensis – New Guinea including western Papuan islands, Aru and Trobriand islands, and D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago
- Yellow-spotted honeyeater, Meliphaga notata – northeast Australia
- Lewin's honeyeater, Meliphaga lewinii – east Australia
- Streak-breasted honeyeater, Meliphaga reticulata – eastern Lesser Sunda Islands (Timor and Semau)
- Kimberley honeyeater, Meliphaga fordiana – northwestern Australia (northwestern Kimberley region, northern Western Australia)
- White-lined honeyeater, Meliphaga albilineata – north-central Australia (Arnhem Land sandstone, northern Northern Territory)
- Orange-cheeked honeyeater, Meliphaga chrysogenys – west-central New Guinea (timberline zone of Snow Mountains)
- Forest honeyeater, Meliphaga montana – north to southeast New Guinea
- Mottle-breasted honeyeater, Meliphaga mimikae – montane west-central to southeastern New Guinea
- Yellow-gaped honeyeater, Meliphaga flavirictus – northeast Western Australia to northeast Queensland (north Australia)
- Mountain honeyeater, Meliphaga orientalis – montane New Guinea
- Scrub honeyeater, Meliphaga albonotata – foothills of southern New Guinea
- Mimic honeyeater, Meliphaga analoga – New Guinea including western Papuan islands and Aru Islands
- Tagula honeyeater, Meliphaga vicina – lowlands and hills of Tagula Island (Louisiade Archipelago, off southeastern New Guinea)
- Graceful honeyeater, Meliphaga gracilis – southern New Guinea including Aru Islands, and northeastern Australia (western Torres Strait islands and eastern Cape York Peninsula, northern Queensland)
- Cryptic honeyeater, Meliphaga imitatrix – northeastern Australia (southeastern Cape York Peninsula to Wet Tropics region, northern Queensland)
- Elegant honeyeater, Meliphaga cinereifrons – southeastern New Guinea
