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The Indian Myna - A Threat to Australian WildlifeAustralians have to make a choice. It's one or the other, we can't have both
Remember waking up to the beautiful call of a rosella or the song of a blackbird? In many Canberra suburbs nowadays you are more likely to hear the screeching of the Indian Mynas which have driven many other birds out of our suburbs. The Indian Myna is rated by the World Conservation Union as one of the world's 100 most invasive species. It has been rated an Extreme Threat in Australia and won the dubious distinction of receiving the Pest of Australia award in the Wild Watch Quest for Pests 2005. It beat the cane toad and feral cat to get this award! The Indian Myna is a medium sized brown bird with a black head and yellow feet, eye-patch and bill. A native of India, it was deliberately introduced into Canberra in the 1960s and has spread widely throughout the region. It has been calculated that there are around 250 Indian Mynas for every square kilometre in Canberra.
Noisy, territorially aggressive, and not afraid of humans, Indian Mynas hang out in flocks from 5 to 20, and can be very long-lived. They can raise two broods of young each year, and spend their nights in noisy communal roosts. Mynas reduce biodiversity by fighting for hollows with native birds like Rosellas, destroying their eggs and chicks and stopping them from breeding. They also evict small mammals like Sugar Gliders from hollows - which commonly means a death sentence for the Gliders because they have nowhere else to go. It is not uncommon for groups of mynas to mob and evict larger birds such as Kookaburras, and larger tree-twellers such as possums. Indian Mynas use their superior numbers to aggressively defend territory during the breeding season. They build and defend several nests although they only use one nest - this excludes native birds and animals from using those sites. Indian Mynas hang around outdoor cafes and restaurants, walking all over tables in search of left-over food. It isn't hard to see the potential public health risk they pose. They also pose fire risks to buildings through making large scrappy nests under eaves and roof lines from sticks and any available rubbish they find. I once found an old Myna nest in our ceiling after having a hole in the eaves plugged, and I removed an incredible quantity of twigs, feathers, paper, etc. Mynahs carry bird mites that can migrate from nests in roof spaces down into the rooms below. Mynas also have the potential to carry diseases that are dangerous to people. Often gathering at night in huge numbers, these raucous birds can take over clumps of trees, especially around areas where lots of people go, like shopping centres. Their droppings can cover 100% of the ground and public seating under the trees. Some simple things you can do to discourage this undesirable invader:
By observing the above precautions you give local native birds and animals a better chance to survive against Indian Mynas. If we don't control these exotic invaders, we will lose the native birds and small mammals in our region. Learn more about controlling these pests, including how to trap and destroy them humanely, from these websites: http://www.indianmynaaction.org.au http://sres-associated.anu.edu.au/myna/ http://www.mdavid.com.au/mynahs/mynahs.html
The content of this page is based on material available on the above websites. |
