Take a good look at this nature’s work of art. The regent honeyeater is one of Australia’s most endangered species, viewed as an emblematic symbol of woodland conservation in the Victoria and NSW region. Its yellow pattern is carefully entwined in its black body and gives the impression that its feathers are embroidered with gold. Perhaps that’s where it gets its scientific name “phrygia” from, as Phrygia was a kingdom from antiquity, famously known for making beautiful pieces of embroidery with gold. I wonder if they could be another victim of Midas the king (who comes from Phrygia btw), if they were touched by him and just learned how to stop the process of turning into gold. These birds used to be found more abundantly in eastern and south Australia, but habitat reduction made the population decrease drastically and rapidly. They are great agents of pollination, especially linked to some eucalyptus species! They live, nest and feed in those trees, centering their diet mainly on its nectar, but they can also enjoy some insects and their honeydew. They are so endangered that they are actually losing their native calling. Instead, some younglings learn to mimic other Honeyeater species callings because of the lack of adults to learn from. This makes them the only Honeyeater species to "mimic" others. Their calling has a metallic aspect and they are curiously way more vocal during winter. Fun fact, in some places in Australia, they were actually known as “Embroidered Honeyeaters”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_honeyeater#Conservation_status
https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles/regent-honeyeater/?srsltid=AfmBOoqo1BE9HgzwOOmCugOuTQXiZwXY07tyE_AJ_IOXQKtEav_BalQM
https://taronga.org.au/animals/regent-honeyeater
https://www.zoo.org.au/fighting-extinction/local-threatened-species/regent-honeyeater/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygia
https://wwf.org.au/blogs/a-reflection-of-regent-honeyeaters/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ross-Crates/publication/350192391_Mimicry_in_Regent_Honeyeaters_is_it_really_mimicry_after_all/links/6055a294a6fdccbfeaf0db2a/Mimicry-in-Regent-Honeyeaters-is-it-really-mimicry-after-all.pdf