It is endemic to Australia, where it is restricted to the eastern coast from Townsville in Queensland to northern New South Wales.

Its plumage is olive-brown above, grading to greyish-brown on rump and uppertail-coverts, with fine dark streaking on top of head and hindneck.

A narrow yellow moustachial stripe exists that ends in small white tuft.

It meets large greyish-white patch on lower side of neck and the tail and upperwing are olive-brown in color.

They are found mainly in Mangrove forests and woodlands fringing coasts, bays, estuaries and islands.

They are less likely to be found in coastal shrubland, woodland or scrub (e.g. of Eucalyptus, Banksia, Melaleuca or combinations of these) near mangroves.

[3] Mangrove honeyeaters are monogamous, although polygamy or a mixed mating system is present in species with great sexual dimorphism.

Honeyeaters forage mainly in mangroves (Aegiceras, Rhizophora), among outer foliage, in flowers, trees, and shrubs.

Honeyeaters also consume sap exuding from scars on branches caused by gliding possums.

Their nests are cup-shaped and are made of dried grasses and seagrass or plant fibre, which are bound with spider web and matted egg sacs.

The mangrove honeyeaters have benefited from land-clearing and fragmentation in southern Western Australia and are able to fly over open agricultural lands.