There is little known about the social organization and behaviour of this species, in part due to its erratic movements, and also because individuals are widely characterized as very nervous, always on the move, very shy, "quick on the wing" and very timid 1946. Birds are often seen singly or in pairs. However, early Australian records note movements of pied honeyeaters in constant flocks, "flying against the wind...in flocks at times of fifty or more"and in larger flocks of several hundred.