Found a noisy miner chick on the ground? It’s probably not alone!It’s that time of year again, and our hotline is busy with calls about fledglings. We especially love noisy miner calls, because these little ones come with a whole support crew.

Noisy miners breed cooperatively. That means the chicks are fed and looked after not just by mum and dad, but by other members of the colony too. Most of these helpers are older brothers, uncles and cousins: young males usually stay in the colony they were born in for life, while females move away to find a new family. Even unrelated birds have been seen pitching in!

So, if you spot a healthy noisy miner chick hopping around, chances are there’s a family member nearby keeping a close eye on it. The best thing you can do is leave it where it is, keep pets and kids away, and let the family do what they do best. If the chick is on the ground and ground predators are about, you can pop the chick on a branch as high as you can safely reach in a nearby tree or bush.

A few more fun facts:

🙂Noisy miners have different alarm calls for different dangers, one for birds of prey overhead and another for threats on the ground.

🙂Even the nestlings understand the difference! Studies found chicks stay quiet for longer when they hear the “ground predator” warning.
🙂In noisy city spots like busy roads, they turn up the volume and call even louder.
🙂Other birds listen in too. Superb Fairy-wrens living near miners have learned to recognise their alarm calls and flee when they hear them.

They’re a native honeyeater, not to be confused with the introduced Common (Indian) Myna. Look for the grey body, black crown and yellow beak and eye patch.

When to call us:

If the chick is injured, bleeding, has been caught by a cat or dog, is cold and weak, or is in immediate danger

If the chick is an unfeathered or partially feathered nestling on the ground – it will need specialised advice

You can reach us on our 24/7 hotline on 07 5527 2444 or your local wildlife group.

Website: www.wildcare.org.au
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This information has been sourced from the Wildcare Australia Inc. Facebook page.