Noisy Miner - BirdForum Opus

Photo by jimmclean
Photo taken: Sydney, Australia

Manorina melanocephala

Identification

28cm. Grey body, black crown and cheeks, yellow bill, legs and the naked skin behind the eye.

Distribution

Australia and Tasmania.

Taxonomy

There are four subspecies.¹

• M. m. titaniota
  • Interior of southern Cape York Peninsula, northeastern Queensland
• M. m. lepidota
  • Eastern Australia
• M. m. melanocephala
  • Southeastern Australia
• M. m. leachi
  • Eastern Tasmania

Habitat

Woodlands and open forests.

Behaviour

Diet includes nectar, fruits and insects. Very occasionally they will eat small reptiles and amphibians.

ssp. melanocephala
Photo by colonelboris
Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney, 13/09/2009.

The female constructs the nest and incubates the eggs alone, but both sexes will care for and feed the young birds. Additional 'helpers' usually also feed the young. These helpers are almost always male birds.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

External Links

Search for photos of Noisy Miner in the gallery

• View more images of this species on the ABID