Myna birds

[John]

I didn't realise these were pests.. 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-22/getting-rid-of-myna-birds-rats-of-the-sky/6959310

Eradicating the common myna bird is an impossible task unless all Queenslanders work together, according to environmentalist Ed Parker.

Mr Parker, coordinator of the Pooh Corner Environment Centre, said the common myna was one nasty critter.

Originally from Asia, the species is also known as the Indian myna or "rats of the sky".

PHOTO: A trap used to capture common myna birds. (Supplied: Ed Parker)

 

The birds were introduced into Australia by Melbourne market gardeners in the 1800s to help control insects.

They were also introduced into Queensland to control grasshoppers and the cane beetle.

Mr Parker said the introduction was a disaster, and the bird has been declared as one of the world's most invasive species.

"It has territorial behaviours, it competes for nests with native birds," he said.

"They defecate in other bird's nests and there's the potential for spread of disease [among bird populations]."

Workshop to show how to capture common myna birds

Mr Parker has invited people interested in reducing the numbers of common myna birds to a workshop at the Pooh Corner Environment Centre at Wacol.

The workshop will explain how to tell the difference between the common myna and the native noisy myna.

"The noisy myna also causes issues for small birds but it is a native bird," Mr Parker said.

The workshop will feature traps used to catch common myna birds.

Mr Parker said the traps were based on a design used successfully by the Canberra Invasive Myna Action Group and used high protein food to attract the pests.

"It's most unlikely that any other bird can be trapped," Mr Parker said.

"They can be made by someone who's reasonably practical and handy. There are some traps available for loan."

PHOTO: The Indian myna has distinctive yellow patches around the eyes and white feathers under the wing. (Flickr: Richard Taylor)

 

But Mr Parker said trapping the birds would only be effective if it was conducted on a widespread basis.

"But it's not just a matter that we're going to let a whole lot of people loose with traps," he said.

"There are protocols, it is about humane treatment."

Mr Parker said trapped myna birds were euthanased by the RSPCA.

He has also urged anyone who feeds the birds in their backyards to stop immediately.

"People should definitely not be feeding them and helping them exist and populate urban areas," Mr Parker said.

"In Canberra there's some research to suggest that it was an island infestation and they have been very successful over the last eight or nine years in dramatically reducing their numbers.

"In Brisbane we acknowledge it's a different situation.

"Mynas are reasonably wide spread and any localised or Brisbane wide culling may not yield quick results because of repopulation from surrounding areas."

Mr Parker wants people in Brisbane to contact the Pooh Corner Environment Centre and log their sightings.

"So that we can see where populations may be increasing, where they exist," he said.

"We had been aware the common myna was an issue in parts of Brisbane.

"In our backyard we've only seen them in the last couple of years. I was able to in the space of four weeks, trap 14 of them.

"That was a local reduction, I'm not suggesting that's going to make a dramatic impact.

But if more people were able to be trained up then it may be possible to stem the population increases and prevent them moving into areas where they presently don't exist."

[ellicat]

The native bird is a Noisy Miner, not myna.

These Indian Mynas are definitely a pest. They eat my dogs' biscuits.

[fishingnut]

The ssaa sent out an email a while ago with a myna distress call that worked extremely well to attract them in