Most Australian birders would know that Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala) are territorial and extremely aggressive. They would not hesitate to attack larger birds that invade their territory.
An earlier post by Dr CH Lee a.k.a lchxian, details the attack by Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala) on a helpless Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) in Centennial Park, Sydney, Australia.
Compared to the dove, which is about 15-20 cm long, the miner is larger at 25-29 cm. In the above case a small group of miners were attacking the smaller dove.
The aggressiveness of the miner is further shown when Dr Lee documented a lone Noisy Miner persistently harassing a single but much larger Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) (above). The latter eventually flew off with the miner chasing it (below). At 44-48 cm long, this currawong is nearly twice the size of the miner.
The Pied Currawong is an omnivorous scavenger. Looking like a crow because of its black plumage and thick, heavy and black bill, it is in fact closely allied to butcherbirds and Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen). It prefers forests and woodlands but has become adapted to urban areas, especially during winter.
Check out Ichxian’s site, walking the path.
3 responses
The Noisy Miner is harassing the Pied Currawong, not attacking it. This is not necesarily common, as these two species are often seen in Waverton combining to harass Kookaburras and Australian Ravens. In Cremorne the Noisy Miners follow the Pied Currawongs around to pick up the crumbs.
The Noisy Miner is a small bird with a small beak. Its harassing is all bluff. It is a bird of disturbed habitats. It is not the Noisy Miners which drive away other birds, it is rather the humans clearing and thinning the forest.
It is OUR FAULT, so DO NOT BLAME THEM!!!
Thanks, Tony for the clarification.
I sometimes see a Noisy Miner following around a Magpie. They will sit next to each other on a tree branch. When the Magpie goes to the ground to look for food the Miner follows right behind. The Magpies in our area Hawthorn East, a suburb of Melbourne, are quite used to people. The other day a Magpie was just outside our back door looking in at me and right behind it was a Noisy Miner firend. I opened the door and went to get some bread and when I came back the Magpie was waiting just inside the open door.