|
Thanks Martin
I'm copying this to BOCA for Don Saunders and Penny
Olsen. It would be good if someone could copy it to overseas bird lists to
obtain more rigorous information, if that is necessary.
Note that comment is required by 13 July.and can go
to
The assessment report seems to be basically
the application, filled out with some further research eg. the important
ANU/DAFF assessment of risks from importing new bird species which apparently
does not cover much of the information from the USA, .
As Mike Simpson says, the invasive potential of the species is well known from its spread (as
noted in the assessment) from Iraq through Europe with adaptation to colder
areas (it's even reached Iceland). It has also spread widely in the USA,
see:
It is interesting to note that the USA population
probably resulted from an aviary break-in in the Bahamas. Reasonable care on the
part of an owner is insufficient to guarantee that birds would not be
"liberated" - see the severe impacts of minks liberated from fur farms in
the UK.
That American site also states baldly that hybrids
between S.decaocto and the Barbary Dove/Ringed Turtle-dove (S. 'risoria') are
known. A feral population of several thousand S.'risoria' established in Alice
Springs and I have not yet heard that it has yet been totally controlled. S.
'risoria' occurs annually in our part of Melbourne and has nested twice in
recent years so the possibility of hybridisation cannot be
discounted.
(I also haven't heard anything from DSE about
controlling S.'risoria' in Melbourne and the rest of Victoria.)
Michael Norris
Bayside Friends of Native Wildlife
| 