Common Myna
Not an Australian native bird. Distinctive chocolate and black markings with yellow face skin, beak and legs with a white patch on the wings.
Noisy Miner
An Australian Native is predominantly grey with a black patch around the eye and on top of the head.
Have you seen one of these birds?
They are both very aggressive birds and certainly not the type of birds we need to have competing with our native fauna.
The Noisy Miner is an Australian Native is predominantly grey with a black patch around the eye and on top of the head.
However, the Common/Indian Myna has distinctive chocolate and black markings with yellow face skin, beak and legs with a white patch on the wings.
The Common Myna or Indian Myna is a native to India sub-continent Iran and Sri Lanka. They are a member of the Starling family. There are a lot of birds that are not native to Australia who have made their way here e.g. Blackbirds, Common Starling, Feral Pigeons, European Goldfinch, Spotted Turtle-dove and the house sparrow.
The Common Myna is probably one of the most aggressive and has been ranked in the World’s 100 Most Invasive Species. Not a popular prize to be winning if we would like to increase the numbers of native woodland birds.
Indian Mynas take over the nesting hollows from native birds and small mammals. They kill the chicks of the native birds or destroy the eggs. They even take over and defend extra nesting hollows, but only lay eggs in one of them.
Indian Mynas drive away the small birds which would normally eat the insects and live on native trees and shrubs. This means the trees themselves start to get unhealthy, from too many insects.
What can we do to reduce the numbers of these aggressive birds?
- Clear away food scraps after eating outdoors
- Raise awareness of Indian Myna with friends and family
- Feed pets indoors
- Dispose of rubbish/scraps in covered bins
- Cover gaps in eaves to stop nesting in houses and sheds
- Secure stock feed from Mynas in sealed containers
- Don’t feed wild birds
- Plant native shrubs to reduce open areas in gardens or native farm blocks
If you would like more information on Mynas or their control visit
Canberra Indian Myna Action Group
– Kathy Tenison, Local Landcare Coordinator.
