adaptations The spiny-cheeked honeyeater is an opportunist when it comes to feeding. Studies have shown that 38% of their diet is nectar; however, insects, small lizards, spiders, and larvae are also in the diet. The spiny-cheeked honeyeater is one of the largest beaked among honeyeaters in a South Australian study, where it was found that this bird's preference for nectar and insects was about the same. However, when there is an abundance of nectar in the winter and spring, the birds tend to take advantage of this resource, allowing other times of the year for their diet on insects. The bird is considered a frugivorous feeder, so the remaining diet on fruit would be around 25%, if we consider that 38% of the diet is nectar. Observations of birds when feeding their fledglings in Sorrento, Victoria, tell of birds taking advantage of available fruit from native plants. The birds have also been seen in orchard environments, but there is no conclusive evidence that this type of fruit was a target for their diet. Ecology The ecology of the spiny-cheeked honeyeater would be similar to that of many honeyeaters. Honeyeaters that have diets of nectar, insects, and fruit can provide several services for the bushland they inhabit. As a nectar feeder, they have a role in pollination. The pollination activities would specialise in the production of fruit that the bird would feed on in the summer, when the fruit is ripe. After feeding on the ripened fruit, the birds would provide a service of seed dispersal, which ensures the food source for this and other species over a widening territory. It also precludes the seed from other species that have primary diets consisting of seeds. In addition, it was found that the bird's ability to disperse seed comes with a high probability that the seed dispersed will germinate. As an insectivore, its ability to control insects may be limited; however, reviews of studies have shown that the removal of bird species has increased insect herbivore activity, and increased crop damage. References External links Recordings of spiny-cheeked honeyeater from Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Macaulay Library Recordings of spiny-cheeked honeyeater from Xeno-canto sound archive Recordings of spiny-cheeked honeyeater from Graeme Chapman's sound library spiny-cheeked honeyeater Endemic birds of Australia spiny-cheeked honeyeater Taxa named by John Gould