The Yellow-throated Miner (Manorina flavigula) is a species of honeyeater

Honeyeater

The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...

, native to Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is also commonly known as the 'White-rumped Miner'.

Description

The Yellow-throated Miner is a medium sized bird, reaching a length of 26 to 28 centimetres (10.2-11.0 in). The dorsal surface is a dark grey, and the ventral surface almost white. The beak, eye skin, side of the throat, legs, feet and parts of the wing and tail are yellow. The feather surrounding the eye are black, and the rump is white.

Ecology and behaviour

The Yellow-throated Miner inhabits dry forests, but can inhabit parks and backyards of disturbed habitat. It is a loud, and conspicuous bird, congregating in large flocks outside of the breeding season. Unlike most honeyeaters, its diet consists mostly of insects, but does include some nectar. They are aggressive towards other birds, especially during the breeding season.

The distribution of the Yellow-throated Miner is wide across Australia. It is found west of the Great Dividing Range

Great Dividing Range

The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...

, but not in the Cape York Peninsula

Cape York Peninsula

Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...

, north-eastern Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

 and small sections in central Australia. There are four subspecies of the Yellow-throated Miner. These are Manorina flavigula flavigula, Manorina flavigula lutea, Manorina flavigula obscura and Manorina flavigula wayensis. M. f. flavigula is the most eastern species, found in Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, north western Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 and the eastern half of South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

. M. f. lutea is native to the Northern Territory, the western half of South Australia, and eastern Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. M. f. obscura is native to south-western

Southwest, Western Australia

The Southwest is a loosely defined area in the southwest corner of Western Australia. Various regionalisations have provided formal definitions of the area, but these do not coincide.* For the drainage division, see Southwest corner of Western Australia...

Western Australia, and M. f. wayensis is native to the rest of Western Australia.