The Yellow-throated Miner is distributed throughout most of mainland Australia except the coastal south and east and the Cape York Peninsula. It is found in drier areas than the Noisy Miner M. melanocephala and the Bell Miner M. melanophrys and is usually close to small clumps of trees.

They feed on insects, seeds and fruit as well as nectar and they are often seen hanging from branches using their strong legs and sharp claws.