The common name refers to the fleshy reddish wattle on the side of the neck. The call of this species is a discordant mixture of gargling and coughing noises, audible over long distances. Whilst the harsh tones are easily recognisable, there is a great deal of variation in the principal songs of Little Wattlebirds up and down the east coast of Australia.

The three-wattled bellbird (Procnias tricarunculatus) is a Central American migratory bird of the cotinga family. Caruncles in birds include those found on the face, wattles, dewlaps, snoods and earlobes. Red Wattlebirds, Anthochaera carunculata, are large honeyeaters easily identified by their fleshy reddish wattle on the side of the neck. A wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals.

From the base of his beak dangle three long, slender, black wattles that he uses in display. Wattles are an adaptive feature that come in handy in several ways. Why have a wattle? Wattles are generally paired structures but may occur as a single structure when it is sometimes known as a dewlap.Wattles are frequently organs of sexual dimorphism. They eat mostly nectar but also some insects and can be very aggressive towards other birds that have their eye on the same flowers. The sexes are very dis-similar in appearance. This turkey is a hefty four feet of bird, tail tip to beak. The face is pale and the tail is long with a white-tip. The Little Wattle bird's name refers to the size of the Wattle rather than the size of the bird. And there, dangling from the chin, is a wrinkly mass of bumpy, warty-looking red skin: the wattle. The Red Wattle Bird is arguably the largest is the species and is conspicuous by it's large Wattles and bright Yellow abdomen.

The Red Wattlebird is a large, noisy honeyeater. In fact sometimes the Little Wattle bird's Wattle is not evident at all. The plumage is grey-brown on the body, with prominent white streaks and yellow on the belly. Bird calls / bird song Little Wattlebird. Pairs may call in duets. When calling, the wattlebird throws its head back so far that the feathers of its crown may touch those of its back, and then it is suddenly jerked forward, releasing the call. They live across southern Australia and are very frequent visitors to gardens in urban areas. Its handsome dark and densely feathered body is topped by a bare neck. The male has a white head and throat and the remaining plumage is chestnut brown.