Bell Miner
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| Bell Miner | ||||||||||||||
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| Manorina melanophrys (Latham, 1801) |
The Bell Miner, Manorina melanophrys, colloquially known as the Bellbird, is a colonial honeyeater endemic to southeastern Australia. They were given their common name because they feed almost exclusively on the dome-like coverings of certain psyllid bugs, referred to as "bell lerps," that feed on eucalyptus sap from the leaves. The "bell lerps" make these domes from their own honeydew secretions in order to protect themselves from predators and the environment.
Bell miners are aggressive birds that defend their colony area communally, excluding most other passerine species. They do this in order to protect their territory from other insect-eating birds that would eat the bell lerps they live off of. Whenever bell miners undergo a population boom, the local forests die back due to increased lerp psyllid infestations.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Manorina melanophrys. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
[edit] External links
- Bell Miner Associated Dieback [1]
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