A Myna Problem

October 09, 2007
Mike
Birds
125 Comments

Here in North America, we contend unendingly with invasive birds like the European Starling, Mute Swan, and House Sparrow. In Australia, they are grappling with the threat of the Common Myna. The Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), also called Indian Myna and House Myna, ranges naturally from Afghanistan to Indochina, but has been introduced into tropical and subtropical oceanic habitats around the world. As anyone with knowledge of how alien species can destabilize even robust ecosystems might surmise, the Myna is causing major problems.

Give credit where credit is due. The Common Myna is a good looking bird. Chocolate brown with a black head, the myna makes a bold statement with its brilliant yellow beak, eye patch, and legs. It also walks rather than hops, just like its rapacious relative the Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris.

Common Myna, Bangkok, Thailand

Beautiful and belligerent, the Common Myna is one of the world’s most successful bird species. They are super-competitors, one of only three birds on the list of One Hundred of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species. The Common Indian Myna website is quite voluble on the length and breadth of this bird’s depredations: they damage fruit and grain crops, their noise and smell can be annoying where they are in large numbers, they spread mites and disease to people and domestic animals, and they sometimes snatch food off people’s plates in outdoor eating areas. There are even a few rare records of mynas attacking people.

The myna’s worst offense is its own success, as it thrives at the expense of native species. In Australia, Common Mynas reduce biodiversity by fighting for hollows with native birds, destroying their eggs and chicks and stopping them from breeding. They also evict small mammals, like Sugar Gliders from hollows, which are in short supply over much of Australia because of clearing for agriculture. When a single myna is too weak to dislodge a competitor, a group of them will form a mob. Behavior like that doesn’t exactly endear a foreign species to its hosts; the myna beat out stiff competition like the Cane Toad and Cockroach for the coveted 2007 Pest of Australia Award.

Common Myna, Sydney, Australia

The scope of the myna invasion is daunting to say the least. Even if there was a way to diminish, say, the North American population of House Sparrows, who could afford such a vast initiative? If anger is impetus enough, the Australian people will win this war. However, a long history of adaptable invasive avifauna assures us that it takes more than just elaborate cages, multi-sound traps, and wrath to deter robust ruffians like these. In the meantime, perhaps they can take solace in the fact that the Common Myna is being outcompeted in its own turf by its own cousin, the Javan Myna. This invader, first detected in Singapore in the 1920s is now the most common bird in the country. Turnabout is fair play, right?

Photos copyright Charlie Moores 2007

Trish

February 19, 2015 3:40:58 am

I have a pair of breeding crested barbets. The first chicks were hauled out of the nest by mynahs and killed.
They now have more chicks that are probably about 6 days old.
How do I keep the Asian Mynah’s away from the nest?
It is in a sisal log in a tree in my garden.

Coen

February 19, 2015 10:38:23 am

Hi Trish,

I love Barbets, firstly because they are beautiful birds, and their sound is very cheerful, but secondly, because they attract Mynahs with said sound. This is where I come into play with my CZ .177 PCP. We make a perfect team!!

In which area are you, Pretoria is full of shooters who will happily remove the problem in an ethical manner.

- Trish
  
  February 20, 2015 4:02:25 am
  
  I am in Randburg. Seems like I have only one option!
  Will have to arm up to protect my babies.
- Ebeth
  
  September 25, 2015 5:22:40 am
  
  Hi Coen, Please contact me, I am in Gezina and want to kill these things.
  
  ebethdel@gmail.com

Goohun

April 20, 2015 11:08:33 pm

I am writing from India. Yes the home of Indian Myna.

I have grown up seeing these birds and never thought anything bad of them. Only there was a superstition during my school days that seeing a single myna will bring sorrow (get you beatings at school) while sighting 2 means a happy day (you will get a snack).

Three years back my daughter built a bird house as part of her school project. We put it up in our portico, soon a pair of sparrows made it home, and hatched eggs in it. Later in summer (April end for us) the chicks came out and they flew away. Soon some mynas arrived and started pulling our the nests, the bird house got messy and so i threw it out.

Last year the sparrows returned to build a nest on the portico but this time they built their nest behind a rolled up window shade. Now i saw the ugly side of the myna. The mynas raided and pulled the nest apart causing the eggs to fall down. I thought it is nature and i don’t need to get worked up.

This year again the sparrows nested in a much harder to get place, the eggs hatched and the chicks started growing feathers and louder. Again this year the Myna’s raided the nest, this time they pulled out the chicks and killed the chicks.

This time i am mad ! …..effing Mynas.

Now i search in the internet and find all over the world people hating them. When we started living in our house there was a big flock of sparrows in the vicinity, now there is none except for a few pairs flying around.

For next season, i will build a bird house for the sparrows.

I think Indian Myna is a pest in India too …. and i hate them.

April 21, 2015 6:59:35 am

Yup they are terrible.
But on the positive side, I eventually managed to get 2 crested barbets raised and fledged!
I had endless hours of watching them as they got bigger. For the last week or so before they left the nest, they would sit with their heads out of the nest and watch the big bad world outside, even falling asleep like that.
Needless to say I was neurotic, and would watch them until I was sure there was a parent around, The parents had no problem with this.
I must confess that I had put all sorts of decoys in my garden to stop the mynahs, and so far I haven’t seen any!

The babies are still around – I can hear them, but don’t get to see them often. Seems they have taken up residence elsewhere in the area.

Skapie

June 09, 2015 9:34:03 am

These birds are cruel to the other bird species. Kill as many as you can and encourage others to do the same. If you have any love for our beautiful indigenous birds in South Africa.

I even know about a man in Pretoria who is willing to pay R10 for every dead Indian Myna you bring him.

Coleman

November 09, 2015 11:20:35 pm

how can we get rid of mynah without shooting them? any low cost option? I stayed in apartments in Singapore. It is extremely irritating and we cannot purchase air rifles, neither can we use them in the open.

any traps or poison or creative ways will be appreciated.

November 10, 2015 8:29:47 am

My cat managed to catch an adult Asian mynah!
Even the squawking and big beak didn’t phase him.
He brought it inside so I had to do something, so had to catch and release it against my better judgement. They have killed a few babies from my breeding crested barbets in the garden!!
Next time I hope he keeps it outside and just kills it!

I have absolutely no clue how to get rid of them.
What amazes me, is that they are such a major problem across the entire world. That had to be the work of some evil dudes!
And some people keep them as pets like a parrott???

Joanna

December 27, 2015 9:53:34 am

Hi there! Guys please help me here. Is it still illigal to shoot them? Got an airifle but no cash for silencer at tye moment and living in a complex where houses are in close proximity.
Can we trap them somehow? Is there an organisation that tries to controll them?
Is there anyone in Harties battling the problem?
Cheers

Carrey

January 06, 2016 2:36:08 am

My Jack Russell’s’ have taken to killing the Mynahs. The Mynahs have been attacking birds around my bird feeders, and then took to dive bombing my dogs who, obviously, got annoyed. now they just take them out. Jack Russell’s 1 – Indian Mynahs 0

A Eaton

January 07, 2016 3:23:40 am

I am trying to find information about this pest. I have found that in 2014 it was gazetted as an invasive species level 3. This gazette requires that in order to keep it a permit is required from the municipality, who will do an environmental assessment before issuing the permit.

I have found info on how to capture the things.

What is still missing …. is how do I legally GET RID OF THEM.

A family has moved into my area and I have found 2 destroyed eggs and a chick that was chased from its nest (just this week only, they have just moved in). They wake me up at 5:30 every morning. I want them out!!! ASAP

Anyone with info, please help.

Yousuf

January 29, 2015 9:09:37 am

two weeks ago i shot down the two resident mynas in my yard.there was big commotion with the other mynas a few hours later, but in the two weeks after I have noticed a lot of indiginous birds come back to my yard , they even started nesting, LOL

Andre Pietersen

November 24, 2015 12:45:57 am

Can you please share these sites with me. I also have a problem with minahs in my backyard…

Ashley

March 19, 2015 2:40:11 am

you must be blind and dont know what you looking at

Ebeth

September 25, 2015 5:13:13 am

I have watched the mynhas in south african pull young mossies out of the nest and the parents being helpless to help them.

The IMs even kill dove nestlings.

They are horrible birds.

Tony Elston

September 28, 2015 2:14:13 pm

I live in South Africa and went to school in Durban in the 60s. Durban had many varieties of exotic indigenous birds and today there is nothing. I have personally witnessed their aggression and destruction.
Now I live in Germiston, the high veld and its become personal.
I have feeders out with fruit and seed and saw dust from the butcher for the insectivorous birds and I enjoy bird watching but not the Indian Mynah he is on the “feed only lead diet.
By the way I have solved the recoil damaging the scope on my air rifle problem if anybody is interested.

Rob Stark

May 31, 2015 2:19:56 am

I lived in Margate for 10 years never had a problem with indiain Mynhas, even birds dont like you , shame.

May 31, 2015 2:21:14 am

Shame you poor Ausie

May 31, 2015 2:23:49 am

Why dont you show your name YOU YELLOW OR WHAT???

May 31, 2015 2:51:10 am

Hi chris, sounds like you you have a boring life ,so all you can do is kill shame on you. Maybe if you lived in South Africa where killing is common you would feel the same as i do Chris.

ingrid

June 20, 2015 2:37:20 am

We have a eco oasis in Fearie Glen.The miners are taking over at sunset. Its terrible. How can you help me?

September 25, 2015 5:20:54 am

Hi, please can you contact me? I would like to help and think there should be a concerted effort against these pests.

Coen

September 25, 2015 8:09:33 am

There must be some legal way of doing this. I heard about a varmin hunting licence a while ago, but no amount of Googling could uncover it. Surely someone on the council will know how to go about this.

FTR: Tally for today = 4