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Manorina is a genus of endemic honeyeaters, containing four species: the black-eared miner ( M. melanotis) the yellow-throated miner ( M. flavigula), the noisy miner ( M. melanocephala) and the bell miner ( M. melanophrys). The genus is notable for the complex social organisation of its species, which live in colonies that can be further subdivided into coteries and nest contingents.
Richard Schodde felt the genus was related to the black-headed honeyeaters of the genus Melithreptus and the blue-faced honeyeater ( Entomyzon cyanotis) based on their behaviour and appearance. However, DNA sampling in a 2004 study by Amy Driskell and Les Christidis showed that the genus was most closely related to the New Guinea genus Melidectes, and that cooperative breeding evolved independently in more than one lineage of honeyeater. The genus Manorina is divided into two subgenera. The bell miner has a predominantly greenish plumage, different calls and skeletal differences and is possibly an early offshoot. It is classified in the subgenus Manorina while the other three form the subgenus Myzantha. The latter had been previously classified as a separate genus, but reclassified within this one by German ornithologist Hans Friedrich Gadow in 1884.
The name "miner" derives from a mid 19th century re-spelling of the Hindi name "myna", which they resemble, but was not formally adopted until the early 20th century.
Subgenera and species
Noisy miner Manorina melanocephala eastern and south-eastern Australia Black-eared miner Manorina melanotis western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia.
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