Microptilotis

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}

{{Automatic Taxobox

| image = Meliphaga gracilis - Julatten.jpg

| image_caption = Graceful honeyeater (Microptilotis gracilis)

| taxon = Microptilotis

| authority = Mathews, 1912

}}

Microptilotis is a genus of birds in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae.

The genus was introduced in 1912 by the Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews with the graceful honeyeater (Microptilotis gracilis) as the type species.{{ cite journal | last=Mathews | first=Gregory | author-link=Gregory Mathews | year=1912 | title=New generic names for Australian birds | journal=Austral Avian Record | volume=1 | issue=5 | pages=105–117 [116] | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33339699 }} The genus name Microptilotis combines the Ancient Greek mikros meaning "small" and the genus name Ptilotis.{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url=https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997 | url-access=limited | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=[https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997/page/n254 254] }}

The genus contains 10 species:{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2020 | title=Honeyeaters | work=IOC World Bird List Version 10.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/honeyeaters/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=22 February 2020 }}

• Mottle-breasted honeyeater (Microptilotis mimikae)
• Forest honeyeater (Microptilotis montanus)
• Mountain honeyeater (Microptilotis orientalis)
• Scrub honeyeater (Microptilotis albonotatus)
• Mimic honeyeater (Microptilotis analogus)
• Tagula honeyeater (Microptilotis vicina)
• Graceful honeyeater (Microptilotis gracilis)
• Cryptic honeyeater (Microptilotis imitatrix)
• Elegant honeyeater (Microptilotis cinereifrons)
• Yellow-gaped honeyeater (Microptilotis flavirictus)

The species now placed in Microptilotis were formerly placed in the genus Meliphaga. When molecular phylogenetic studies found that Meliphaga contained two distinct clades, the genus was split and many of the species transferred to the resurrected genus Microptilotis.{{ cite journal | last1=Andersen | first1=M.J. | last2=McCullough | first2=J.M. | last3=Friedman | first3=N.R. | last4=Peterson | first4=A.T. | last5=Moyle | first5=R.G. | last6=Joseph | first6=L. | last7=Nyári | first7=A.S. | year=2019 | title=Ultraconserved elements resolve genus-level relationships in a major Australasian bird radiation (Aves: Meliphagidae) | journal=Emu | volume=119 | issue=3 | pages=218–232 | doi=10.1080/01584197.2019.1595662 | bibcode=2019EmuAO.119..218A | s2cid=150056949 }}{{ cite journal | last1=McCullough | first1=J.M. | last2=Joseph | first2=L. | last3=Moyle | first3=R.G. | last4=Andersen | first4=M.J. | year=2019 | title=Ultraconserved elements put the final nail in the coffin of traditional use of the genus Meliphaga (Aves: Meliphagidae) | journal=Zoologica Scripta | volume=48 | issue=4 | pages=411–418 | doi=10.1111/zsc.12350 | doi-access= }}