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.
They pose a serious threat to other honeyeaters and smaller species too. They are aggressive birds.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThe Noisy Miner looks cool, great photo. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Beautiful photo, and you taught me something new. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season.
ReplyDelete