Backyard visitors
The introduced common myna is an aggressive invader known for acts of piracy against native fauna, writes LEONARD CRONIN
Aggressive and very smart invaders are slowly advancing into urban areas along the east and south-east coasts of Australia. Described by some as
‘flying rats’ or ‘cane toads of the sky’, the remarkable common (or Indian) myna has learnt to exploit humankind’s urban ecosystems, and has managed to achieve the dubious distinction of being declared one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature.
The cane toad reference is quite apt, as the common myna was deliberately introduced into Queensland in the 1880s to combat insect pests in sugarcane crops. Although the bird proved an ineffective pest controller, about 50 years later, despite warnings by members of the scientific community, the cane toad was introduced for exactly the same reason, with disastrous consequences.
The common myna is often confused with our native noisy miner, a honeyeater that frequents urban gardens. Both have a yellow bill, yellow legs and a bare patch around the eye, but the common myna is brown with a black head and large white wing patches visible in flight, whereas the noisy miner is mostly grey. Both birds are garrulous and aggressive, and both are flourishing in urban habitats where land has been cleared and replaced with open areas with little tree cover or structures that provide suitable nesting sites.
Common mynas breed from August to March, and mate for life. They build nests in the walls and ceilings of buildings, and in tree hollows. However, hollows are in short supply, and most are used by native birds, possums, gliders and bats. Mynas are ruthless, and go to great lengths to evict the occupants of nesting sites, jabbing with their bills and grappling with their clawed feet.
Community groups and councils are declaring war on mynas, trapping and killing them in an attempt to reduce local populations. Some experts disagree with this approach and recommend making urban habitats less attractive to mynas.
We can help by planting trees and revegetating open areas, reducing the availability of food (mynas feed on dog food and food scraps), and reducing the availability of nesting sites by blocking access to roof cavities and evicting mynas from nest boxes.
Len gardens in the Northern Rivers, New South Wales