Early naturalist George Shaw had called it the blue-faced honey-sucker in 1826. Other common names include "white-quilled honeyeater", and "blue-eye". Its propensity for feeding on the flowers and fruit of bananas in north Queensland has given it the common name of "banana-bird". A local name from Mackay in central Queensland is "pandanus-bird", as it is always found around "Pandanus" palms there. It is called "morning-bird" from its dawn calls before other birds of the bush. "Gympie" is a Queensland term. Thomas Watling noted a local indigenous name was "der-ro-gang". John Hunter recorded the term "gugurruk" (pron. "co-gurrock"), but the term was also applied to the black-shouldered kite ("Elanus axillaris"). It is called ("minha") "yeewi" in Pakanh, where "minha" is a qualifier meaning 'meat' or 'animal', and ("inh"-)"ewelmb" in Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola, where "inh-" is a qualifier meaning 'meat' or 'animal', in three aboriginal languages of central Cape York Peninsula