• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	C2a(ii)	B1ab(ii,iii,v); C2a(i,ii); D1

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2022	Endangered	C2a(ii)
2016	Endangered	B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v); C2a(ii)
2013	Endangered	B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v); C2a(i,ii)
2012	Endangered	B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v);C2a(i)
2008	Endangered	B1a+b(ii,iii,iv,v); C2a(i)
2007	Endangered
2004	Endangered
2000	Endangered
1996	Critically Endangered
1994	Critically Endangered
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type	Australia	Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	14,000 km2	medium
Number of locations	5	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	400-2000, 1000 mature individuals	medium	estimated	2020
Population trend	decreasing	medium	inferred	1998-2008
Generation length	4.1 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	3	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	95-99%	-	-	-

Population justification: Distance analysis estimated 481 (236–983) colonies of Black-eared Miners in Riverland Biosphere Reserve in 2015–2016 (where >95% of the population occurs), with a 61% reduction in the abundance of Black-eared Miners within a 2006 firescar compared to long-unburnt mallee (Boulton 2019). At least 18 colonies were known from Murray-Sunset National Park in 2019 (R. Boulton unpublished data) and two persisted in Annuello Flora and Fauna Reserve in 2014 (Boulton 2014). However, these figures are likely to exaggerate the population size. First, although Black-eared Miners are a communal species, the number of mature adults is only about double the number of colonies because of the skewed adult sex ratio and complex social organisation (Ewen et al. 2001). Second, miners move towards an observer when close by but avoid detection at greater distances, which overestimates abundance. Third, their distribution is clumped even within core habitat; few new colonies were discovered in recent surveys despite extensive off-track areas being walked during the distance transects (Cale 2012, Boulton 2019). These challenges are likely to lead to over-estimation of population size, especially in the Riverland Biosphere Reserve which could be as low as 200 colonies. Population size is also heavily influenced by rainfall, with no breeding in drought and continuous breeding across the year if good conditions persist. Accounting for these uncertainties, the number of mature individuals is set at 400-2,000, with a best estimate of 1,000. More than 95% of these are thought to occur in the Riverland Biosphere Reserve.

Trend justification: Historically, the species declined dramatically owing to clearance and fragmentation of its preferred mallee habitat. As a result, hybridisation with the dominant M. flavigula, which invades remnant habitat patches, is now the greatest threat and continues to drive declines. The Millennium Drought is likely to have affected the population; fires burned all the suitable habitat in the Bronzewing Fauna and Flora Reserve, and fires have reduced the suitable habitat available in the Riverlamd Biosphere Reserve (R. Clarke and R. Boulton in litt. 2016). These threats are therefore thought to be causing ongoing declines and have caused significant declines in the past (Boulton et al. 2021). Earlier population estimates are from 2007, when there were about 200 colonies in Riverland Biosphere Reserve (Clarke et al. 2008), seven in Murray-Sunset National Park and the two in Annuello Flora and Fauna Reserve (Boulton 2014). The Riverland Biosphere Reserve population at that time had declined from an estimated 501 (270–927) colonies following a severe fire in 2006 (Clarke et al. 2005), whilst other populations had declined due to drought and genetic introgression from about 53 colonies (32–85) in Murray-Sunset National Park and 14 in Scotia Sanctuary and Tarawi Nature Reserve in New South Wales, and four in Bronzewing Flora and Fauna Reserve (Baker-Gabb 2007).

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Australia	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Australia	Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello
Australia	Riverland Mallee
Australia	Wyperfeld, Big Desert and Ngarkat

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Savanna	Dry	major	resident
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	major	resident
Altitude	0 - 85 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching - Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Climate change & severe weather	Droughts	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Whole (>90%)		Causing/Could cause fluctuations		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Reduced reproductive success
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Whole (>90%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation
Climate change & severe weather	Temperature extremes	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Capra hircus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Oryctolagus cuniculus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases - Manorina flavigula	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Whole (>90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Hybridisation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases - Named species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Species mortality

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Black-eared Miner Manorina melanotis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-eared-miner-manorina-melanotis on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.