NOISY MINER

The Noisy Miner Bird (Manorina melanocephala) is a common sight around Melbourne gardens and parks. Noisy Miners are nectar-eating birds native to eastern Australia. They enjoy nectar, fruit and also eat the occasional insect. Noisy Miner is a good name for them, because of the repetitive noisy chirping they make, especially when there are young miners around. They can also make a whole lot of noise when an intruder enters their territory. That intruder could be another type of bird, or a monitor lizard, a snake, a cat, or even a person.

One of the reasons why these birds seem to benefit from people is their preference for areas with widely-spaced trees. Suburban gardens fit that description perfectly, and they are further rewarded by the recent Australian interest in planting flowering nectar-rich indigenous trees and bushes like Grevilleas and Bottlebrush.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.