Communities of nectarivorous and other exudate-eating vertebrates in extremely comparable environments (mediterranean climates and nutrient-poor substrates) in Western Australia (Fitzgerald River National Park) and southern Africa (Agulhas National Park)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/44570-Rattus-fuscipes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaua%CA%BBi_%CA%BB%C5%8D%CA%BB%C5%8D

https://esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1440-1703.12148

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01925.x

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/589240-Liparia-parva

The following species does not occur in the study area:

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/43215-Elephantulus-edwardii

@tonyrebelo @bluehillescape @craigpeter @thebeachcomber

A main nectarivore in mediterranean southern Africa is Promerops cafer (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/239129817 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/237834178 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214748029 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/202263253).

This bird - characteristic of fynbos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fynbos) - has no counterpart in mediterranean Australia, despite the extreme adaptive radiation of Meliphagidae (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeyeater) on the island continent.

Promerops cafer can be framed as intermediate in body mass between two meliphagids abundant in kwongan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwongan) in Western Australia, and closely associated with proteas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteaceae).

I refer to Phylidonyris novaehollandiae longirostris and Anthochaera lunulata.

Adult female body mass of Promerops cafer is 32 g (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232673770_Morphological_characteristics_of_Cape_sugarbirds_Promerops_cafer_from_Helderberg_Nature_Reserve).

Adult female body mass of Phylidonyris novaehollandiae longirostris is about 19 g (https://absa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/New-Holland-Honeyeater.pdf).

Adult female body mass of Anthochaera lunulata is about 52 g (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_wattlebird).

However, even this 'bracketing' fails to account for the intercontinental disparity. This is because the beak is proportionately much longer in the southern African species than in either of the Australian spp.

Promerops cafer:
https://bluehillescape.blogspot.com/2011/10/sugarbirds-are-sweet.html and https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cape-sugar-bird-van-stadens-reserve-2070575030 and https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cape-sugar-bird-balancing-on-protea-1547969333

Phylidonyris novaehollandiae:
https://www.birdforum.net/gallery/new-holland-honeyeater.699917/ and https://ebird.org/species/nehhon2 and https://www.absa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/New-Holland-Honeyeater.pdf and https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/new-holland-honeyeater/

Anthochaera lunulata:
https://wabirdingblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/south-west-endemics-part-3-western.html and https://ebird.org/species/litwat1 and https://rewildperth.com.au/resource/western-thornbill/ and https://birdfact.com/birds/western-wattlebird and https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/25913692-western-wattlebird-in-australia

A claim that Phylidonyris novaehollandiae eats honeydew: https://animalia.bio/new-holland-honeyeater?property=98