I can’t remember where I read it but I have, for a long time, understood the name ‘Miner’ was applied to the Noisy Miner because of its similarity to the Common Myna but was spelt differently to distinguish it from the Myna. However, HANZAB states with respect to the Bell Miner ” The miners were so named by early settlers because their tinking calls recalled distant miners hammering at the workface.”
Greg Dr Greg. P. Clancy Ecologist and Wildlife Guide Coutts Crossing NSW
