The Regent Honeyeater was once a common sight in the Lower Hunter and beyond.
But the impact of decades of relentless habitat destruction has led to the song bird now being listed as one of Australia's most critically endangered birds.
In an effort to boost numbers, 49 zoo-bred Regent Honeyeaters have been released on Wonnarua country near Cessnock.
Regent Honeyeaters are a unique species of songbird found only in south-eastern Australia and are known for their striking black-and-yellow 'embroidery' markings.
Once abundant from Queensland to South Australia, their numbers have dwindled to just 250 to 300 birds in the wild.
The 2024 NSW Regent Honeyeater release is the third large-scale release on Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council land, and the fifth release in NSW, as part of a national effort to save the species.
"The time to start protecting the Regent Honeyeater is now. Its protection starts with every man, woman and child in Kurri Kurri and beyond understanding that this bird is significant to them," Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Tara Dever said.
"The golden sunlight of their wings reflects the warm beauty of the Tomalpin Woodlands and Kurri Kurri itself.
"My grandparents and their parents before them had flocks of Regents in their backyard at Stanford Merthyr. "We want our grandchildren to have them in theirs. The Regent Honeyeater is still here because this place of Kurri Kurri, this salty water place, is a good place, it's special Country."
More than 200 zoo-bred Regent Honeyeaters have now been released in NSW.
The latest release on Wonnarua Country involved the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, BirdLife Australia and Local Land Services.
"This latest release of nearly 50 Regent Honeyeaters bred at Taronga Zoo is an exciting step forward in the NSW Government's plan to save this critically endangered species," Environment minister Penny Sharpe said.
"NSW is home to creatures and plants that live nowhere else on this planet. The Minns Labor Government is taking action to ensure they exist here, for generations and centuries to come."
BirdLife Australia Regent Honeyeater Recovery coordinator Mick Roderick said the release of zoo-bred Regent Honeyeaters was vital to the bird's survival.
"A number of the released birds have been observed in townships across the Cessnock local government area including Kurri Kurri, Pelaw Main and Kearsley and found feeding in flowering trees such as bottlebrushes (Callistemons) and Spotted Gums," he said.
"Any observations by members of the public would be greatly beneficial to our ongoing efforts to track the survival and movements of our released birds and chicks."
Members of the public can contribute to ongoing efforts to track the survival and movements of the Regent Honeyeater by reporting sightings to BirdLife Australia at www.birdlife.org.au/what-to-do-if-you-see-a-regent-honeyeater/
