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18

Bell Miner

(Manorina melanophrys)
Alternate name(s): "Bell-bird", "Bell Mynah"
Aboriginal name(s): "jumjum"

Size: 18-20 cm
Weight: 28-32 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Bell Miner at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Bell Miner (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2013]

Near-lateral view of a Bell Miner sitting on bitumen (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Glorious, QLD, March 2017]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Bell Miner (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
[Gillards Beach, Mimosa Rocks National Park, NSW, February 2009]

Close-up lateral view of a Bell Miner (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cunningham's Gap, QLD, June 2017]

Lateral view of a Bell Miner with its tongue sticking out (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a Bell Miner (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
[Gillards Beach, Mimosa Rocks National Park, NSW, February 2009]

Near-dorsal view of a Bell Miner (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Bell Miner (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Bell Miner (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cunningham's Gap, QLD, June 2017]

Distant ventral view of a Bell in flight (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, October 2016]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of an immature Bell Miner with a load of lerps; note the inconspicuous, pale orbital skin
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Lateral view of an immature Bell Miner (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Lateral view of an immature Bell Miner issuing its characteristic call
[Near Gloucester, NSW, June 2009]

Lateral view of a juvenile Bell Miner; note the absence of the orange-red orbital skin typical of adults
[Near Gloucester, NSW, June 2009]

Lateral view of a juvenile Bell Miner (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2013]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Jun Eggs: 2 - 3 Incubation period: 14 days Fledging age: ca. 15 days

Bell Miners can breed any time of the year and can have several broods per season. They are colonial nesters and members of the colony may help a breeding pair feed the chicks.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Suspended basket Material: Fine twigs, bark, grass stems, webs, lichen Height above ground: 4 - 7 m

Bell Miner nest in an horizontal fork (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Miners Way, Cassilis, Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2016]

Bell Miner nest with the owner next to it (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Miners Way, Cassilis, Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2016]

Bell Miner sitting on its nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Miners Way, Cassilis, Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2016]

Bell Miner sitting on its nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Miners Way, Cassilis, Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2016]

Bell Miner carrying nesting material (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Glorious, QLD, March 2017]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 23 x 16 mm Colour: Creamy, with mid- to dark-brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal Mobility: Sedentary Elementary unit: Family clan/flock

Immature Bell Miner holding on to the bark of a tree trunk (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, November 2016]

Food, Diet

Like all Miners of the Manorina family, Bell Miners feed on insects taken from leaves or bark and on nectar. Part of many birds' diet are "lerps", the crystallized honeydew produced by larvae of psyllid insects on the underside of leaves. Many birds will take both, lerp and insect. However, Bell Miners have the peculiarity of picking off only the lerps, leaving the psyllids alive. In many cases this leaves the insects to cause serious damage to trees.

Near-lateral view of an immature Bell Miner with a load of lerps (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Bell Miner feeding on the underside of the leaves of a eucalypt
[Near Nowendoc, NSW, June 2011]

Additional information

There is a separate page with a short description of psyllids and lerps.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

bellmin_20151202.m4a (W NSW) Contact calls (small mob) © MD
bellmin_20140521.mp3 (N NSW) Contact calls (small mob) © MD
bellmin_me_20220403.m4a (S VIC) Contact calls (small mob) © ME
bellmin_20151202_3.m4a (W NSW) Various (small mob) © MD
bellmin_20150326.m4a (N NSW) Various (big mob) © MD
bellmin_20140524.mp3 (N NSW) ? (few birds) © MD
bellmin_20151202_2.m4a (W NSW) Feeding calls? (small mob) © MD

More Bell Miner sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.