The bellbird, or bell miner as it's known, is being blamed for killing thousands of hectares of bush on the east coast. Dieback is a condition in which trees progressively die from the top downward. The condition spreads through the leaves and branches, and eventually often the whole plant then dies.

Why do bellbirds kill trees?

Where over abundant populations of bellbirds drive out other birds, psyllid numbers soar. This leads to insect induced tree stress and the emergence of dieback. Plague proportions of psyllids and bellbirds precede the eventual death of the host trees.

Are Bellbirds native to Australia?

The bell miner (Manorina melanophrys), commonly known as the bellbird, is a colonial honeyeater, endemic to southeastern Australia.