Noisy Miner: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Birds of Asia, Africa and Australia · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. Noisy miners do almost everything as a team. When a predator shows up, groups of up to 40 birds may gang up to chase it away.
2. It has a high whistle to warn of hawks overhead and a harsh churr for other dangers. In lab tests, miners could tell each other apart by voice.
3. Only the mother sits on the eggs, but up to twenty males bring food to the chicks. The helpers are usually her grown sons or the father's brothers.
4. In 1801, a naturalist described this bird four times under four different names, not realising it was the same species each time.
5. To bathe, it dives head first into water and flaps hard while almost fully under. In dry weather, it rolls in dust or grass clippings instead.

The quiz

1. How many noisy miners may team up to chase off a predator?

• Up to 40 (correct)
• Never more than 3
• Only one, it always acts alone
• Exactly 2, a pair

Groups of up to 40 birds can form to mob a predator.

2. What sound warns other miners of a hawk flying overhead?

• Loud bill tapping on wood
• A soft purr
• A high, slurred whistle (correct)
• Total silence

The alarm for flying predators is a series of high, slurred whistles.

3. Who helps feed noisy miner chicks?

• Neighbouring females
• Up to twenty male helpers (correct)
• Birds of other species
• Nobody, the mother works alone

Up to twenty males, usually close relatives, care for the young.

4. In 1801, how many times was the noisy miner described as if it were a new bird?

• Once
• Twice
• Ten times
• Four times (correct)

John Latham described it four times without realising it was one species.

5. How does a noisy miner take a bath?

• It never bathes
• It sits still in water for hours
• It dives head first into water and flaps (correct)
• It only rolls in snow

It dives head first and flaps its wings while almost fully under water.

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