Removal of the pest bird – Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and its impacts and implications for native Australian birds.

I plan on conducting a removal experiment in Canberra suburbs to see the effect Mynas have on our native species. In seven suburbs I will remove and euthanase as many mynas as possible (with the help of Canberra Indian Myna Action Group (CIMAG) and roost trapping). In another seven suburbs I will not remove Mynas (control sites).

Each of the 14 suburbs will be monitored by transect counts of all bird species present, and through the establishment of over 200 nesting boxes (to monitor nesting success of both natives and mynas).

This project will build on existing work about the impact Mynas are having on Australian Natives. It will also be of interest from a “removal experiment” standpoint, as often replication of removal experiments is extremely difficult (due to work load and time constraints). Many removal experiments only look at two or three replications per treatment, where as this experiment is aiming for seven. This level of replication would not be possible without the strong support of the volunteer community group CIMAG.

From this project I hope to answer questions on the size of area that needs to be targeted for the removal of Mynas. For example is it feasible to just concentrate on trapping one suburb at a time or do you need to focus on a much larger area? Additionally, an understanding of how Mynas adapt to a reduction in numbers may hold the key to ensuring that reductions are long lasting. For example, increased nesting success in removal areas may be a problem and therefore destruction of nests may be required. Finally, through looking at landscape genetics I hope to be able to gain a clearer picture of the level of Myna movement, both between and within suburbs and on a much broader scale.