The aggressive, native bird, the noisy miner, is arguably one of the most prolific Australian native birds. They are pale grey, with a yellow beak and yellow patch behind the eye. In recent decades, due to deforestation and habitat modification, their population exploded along the east coast from the outback to suburban backyards and parks. Due to the severe negative impact this has had on our small woodland birds, there are repeated calls to cull the native noisy miners.

Noisy miners are native Australian honeyeaters, and in their natural environment, they feed on nectar, fruit, insects and help pollinate native plants. However, they have huge appetites and will also eat frogs and lizards. They can benefit gardens as they love little bugs and insects that damage your plants.

But are they pests?

The “problem” with noisy miners, apart from the din kicked up when the colony is alerted to intruders, is they are also territorial, aggressive and quite the bully. They unite as a colony to attack predators and defend their habitat against all other species of birds. Unfortunately, more often than not, a habitat that has been stolen from those same birds. This behaviour, along with their size, enables them to chase away a wide range of woodland and forest birds that are listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, such as Swift Parrot, Regent Honeyeater, Little Lorikeet, Hooded Robin, Flame Robin, Brown Treecreeper, Speckled Warbler, Painted Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Turquoise Parrot and Scarlet Robin.

The exclusion of these birds from their habit by Noisy miners impacts their feeding and breeding and further decreases these species. Noisy miners have also been known to harass cats, swooping them in groups if they are in their territory. As native birds, they are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. It is a serious offence to kill or harm noisy miners.

Miner vs Myna

The Indian Myna is an introduced bird, often confused with the Noisy Miner as they are both have the same distinctive yellow at the back of the eyes. Indian Mynas were deliberately introduced into Melbourne’s market gardens in the 1860s to help control insects. However, further releases occurred in Sydney and Queensland, and, like the Cane Toad, with no natural predators, they spread quickly with devastating consequences for native Australian wildlife.

The Indian myna also lives in large, noisy suburban communities and nests in tree hollows and roof cavities. They also push native animals such as possums and birds from their nesting tree hollows and take over the hollow. One breeding pair of Indian mynas can potentially produce 13,000 birds within five years. As a consequence of the problems the Indian mynas cause, there is also a call to trap and cull their population. The Indian Myna is not a protected species.

Breeding

The noisy miner is a communal, family orientated bird with a life span of around 6.7 years for females and 8.7 for males. They breed all year long, laying two to four eggs each time. The female constructs a deep, cup-shaped nest and incubates the eggs alone, but both parents care for and feed the chicks. It’s also common for other male community members to help feed the chicks.

Habitat

Their natural habit is dry eucalypt forests, woodlands and remnant bushland. However, they thrive in human-modified landscapes as they prefer cleared land with tall trees and little to no understory. Planting shrubs and understory plants in your suburban garden, along with spiky type plants (roses, bougainvillea etc.). This cover provides safety to smaller birds.

What you can do

• do not feed noisy miners
• plant an understory of dense vegetation and ground covers to provide cover and protection to small native birds
• do not catch, kill or harm noisy miners
• leave nesting birds undisturbed
• do not remove eggs or nests