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The Friar-Bird.
(Genus: Tropidorhynchus.)
Among the large family of Australasian birds known as the Honey-eaters or Honey-suckers, few are more remarkable than the Friar-Birds, five species of which are found in Australia. These birds obtained their name from the fact that their plumage is of sober hue and their heads either partly or entirely bald. Their stout bills are surmounted by horny knobs. They are familiar birds of the Australian bush, pugnacious and noisy, living in companies and attracting attention by their loud cries. With their long, brush-like tongues the Friar-Birds lick up insects from the insides of blossoms, and also pollen and nectar. Fruit is also sometimes eaten.