Alternate name
Mickybird, Micky Miner
Comment
Very common and widespread in woodland and farmland; a pest to other native birds.
Stronghold population
False
Regionally significant/rationale
False
Restricted distribution/rationale
False
Historical abundance
Increasing
Local distribution
Mostly in or on edges of dry eucalypt forests or woodlands especially stands without understorey shrubs. Has benefitted from thinning, clearing and fragmentation of woodland
Known location
Nerang, Eagleby, Clagiraba, Pimpama, Hope Island, Coomera, Tallebudgera, Carbrook, Maudsland, Currum
Other locality
Very common and widespread in disturbed woodland, farmland and parks. A very aggressive native bird that drives away smaller native birds, posing a threat to bird diversity in the forests it inhabits. Increasing in numbers due to human habitat degradation.
General ecology
Woodland, disturbed open forest, farmland, parks, gardens.
Specific ecology
Areas with a sparse understorey and clearings or edges. Avoids intact forest and forest with a dense shrubby understorey.
Habitat comment
Forest clearing has allowed this woodland bird to become dominant over large areas of southern Queensland, leading to a decline of other native birds such as robins, whistlers, thornbills, fantails, honeyeaters. Effectively a native pest. Largely confined to lowland areas.
Management
This bird is an indicator of habitat disturbance (except where it occurs only along the edge of a forest remnant). Where it is dominant, other small birds are likely to be scarce.
