Noisy miner

Noisy miner

What are noisy miners?

Noisy miner birds are a small to medium sized honey-eater.  They have loud calls and usually live in large groups. Noisy miners are very common in cities and towns in eastern Australia because they like to live in clear areas with trees and flowers, places like people's gardens. They can be found all the way from Queensland to Tasmania along the eastern side of Australia. 

The scientific name for the noisy miner is Manorina melanocephala. There are four different species of Australian native miner birds. Noisy miners have a grey body and a patch of black on their head with a distinctive yellow patch around their eye. They also have a yellowy-orange beak and feet. Females, males and juveniles look very similar.

Some people confuse noisy miners with Indian mynas which are an invasive introduced pest species. Indian mynas have a brown body and their heads are black. They also have a yellow patch around their eye and a yellow beak and feet. Indian mynas are not honey-eaters and are a species of starling.

Where do noisy miners live?

Noisy miners prefer to live in areas with eucalyptus trees and a clear understorey. They like human-made residential parks and gardens where there is clear grass and big trees which has resulted in an increase in their numbers. Noiser miners are very aggressive birds and will drive other native birds away from an area, including larger birds such as kookaburras.

What sounds do noisy miners make?

Noisy miner birds make a range of loud and piercing calls some of which are to warn other members of their group of danger. Birds of other species also recognise these alarm calls. A frenzied group of noisy miners all calling loudly can also let humans know danger such as a snake or fox is nearby. 

What do noisy miners eat?

Noisy miners are honey-eaters so they mostly gather nectar from the flowers of plants such as gum trees, bottle-brush plants, lilli-pillis and grevilleas. They also eat insects and fruit. 

How are noisy miners adapted to the environment?

Noisy miners live in groups for protection. They can be very aggressive and will attack other birds to drive them out of their territory. Their aggression is a very successful strategy and can sometimes result in few other birds being able to live in a habitat where there are noisy miners. 

The beaks of noisy miners are long, thin and pointy - perfect for reaching into flowers and collecting nectar. Noisy miners can breed all year round which means there is more likelihood of more of their young surviving. 

Noisy miners are  known as 'alarm' birds. When there is an intruder in their territory, such as a goanna or snake, they gather in a branch above the intruder, call noisily and point their beaks towards the intruder.

How do noisy miners reproduce and what is their life cycle?

Noisy miners lay their eggs in a cup-shaped nest. The nests are small, round and made of very thin twigs or grass woven together. They are lined with softer materials like feathers or even artificial stuffing from human rubbish. Nests can be quite low in trees and sometimes fall down onto the ground.

Noisy miners breed all year round and lay two to four eggs in the nest which hatch in about 16 days. The chicks are born bald, but soon look much like an adult, just a bit fluffier. Both parents feed the chicks and also other birds in the group. After about a month the chicks can get food on their own.

What threats are there to noisy miners?

Noisy miners are a very successful species of bird but the eggs and chicks can fall prey to Australian birds of prey such as kookaburras, butcher birds, currawongs and ravens. Snakes and goannas eat their eggs. Introduced species such as cats, foxes and rats are also a threat to eggs in the nest, baby birds and adults whilst they are feeding.

Should people feed noisy miners?

No. Human beings should never feed native birds. Noisy miners eat mostly nectar and are quite capable of finding their own food. Human food can make them sick.

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