A small-to-medium-sized honeyeater named after the distinctive patch of white feathers on neck. Adults are primarily olive-gray with a yellow face. Breeding adults have an entirely black bill, whereas the bills of juveniles and nonbreeding adults have a yellow base. Found in open woodlands as well as in parks and gardens, typically near water. Females build a small, cup-shaped nest using grass and spider webs. This species is widespread across mainland Australia but absent in the far north and the southwest.