Michael Williams, age 11, of Lackey, Va., For his question:

What is a soldier bird?

He is an amazing bird of Australia and the nearby islands. He is also called the honeyeater, for he feeds on the syrupy nectar that the Bees gather to make their honey. The soldier bird, alias the honeyeater, has a long tubular tongue, which he unfurls and dips into the throats of nectar rich flowers. Tiny bugs may be hiding among the petals, and the honeyeater eats them, also.

The honeyeaters are medium sized songbirds, usually decked with tuft Patches Of Yellow. At one time they lived in Hawaii, and their black and yellow feathers were used to make gaudy, royal capes. But these Hawaiian birds have become extinct.