Noisy Miner's bathing

Description:

The Noisy Miner is a large honeyeater, 24–28 centimetres (9.4–11 in) in length, with a wingspan of 36–45 centimetres (14–18 in), and weighing 70–80 grams (2.5–2.8 oz). Male, female and juvenile birds all have similar plumage: grey on the back and tail and on the breast, and otherwise white underneath, with white scalloping on the nape and hind-neck and on the breast; off-white forehead and lores; a black band over the crown, bright orange-yellow bill and a distinctive patch of yellow skin behind the eye; a prominent white tip to the tail; a narrow olive-yellow panel in the folded wing; and orange-yellow legs and feet. A juvenile can be distinguished by softer plumage, a brownish tinge to the black on its head and the grey on its back, and a duller, greyish-yellow skin patch behind the eye. The Noisy Miner is similar in appearance to the Yellow-throated Miner and the Black-eared Miner; however it has a dull white forehead and a black crown, while the others have grey heads

Habitat:

The Noisy Miner is endemic to eastern and south-eastern Australia, occupying a broad arc from Far North Queensland where there are scattered populations, to New South Wales where it is widespread and common from the coast to a line from Angledool to Balranald, through Victoria into south-eastern South Australia, and eastern Tasmania. The Noisy Miner is territorial, and the territory of a colony is aggressively defended—which has led to a significant reduction in avian diversity in areas occupied by the Noisy Miner, with smaller species excluded.The Noisy Miner primarily inhabits dry, open eucalypt forests without understory shrubs. It is commonly found in open sclerophyll forests, including those on coastal dunes or granite outcrops; forests dominated by spotted gum on mountain ridges and exposed slopes; box and ironbark forests on the foothills of the Great Dividing Range; mixed forests of eucalypts and cypress (Callitris); forests dominated by yapunya, mulga, gidgee, brigalow or emu bush; in stands of belah and scattered clumps of boree; on the edges of woodlands of river red gum including swamp woodlands bordering floodplains, and areas dominated by exotic species such as European ash and willow.