Common Mynas

[Daryl King <>]

Con,
Mynas evolved from woodland specialists.  They do not use hollows in Sydney forests ( see Richard Major's research) and do best in Canberra where the canopy structure is that of open woodland (see Kate Grarock's research).  They will do very nicely in undisturbed woodland as their range expands.
Regards,
Daryl

On 2/02/2016 10:15 AM, Con Boekel wrote:

Mark
We regularly spend some time in a rural area 100km north of Melbourne. There have been flocks of dozens of mynas there for some years. They don't appear to be able to exist in undisturbed bush (for example, I have never seen one in Black Mountain Nature Reserve) - although they will fly to the edges for breeding hollows.
regards
Con

On 2/02/2016 10:03 AM, Mark Clayton wrote:

Coming back from Orange last Saturday morning via Cowra and Boorowa, I recorded three separate Common Mynas along the route. The first was in Boorowa itself, several hundred metres before leaving the town toward Yass. Another bird was seen approximately 10 kilometres before the Boorowa road joined the Hume Highway – I have seen a bird in this area previously some time ago – and the third bird was seen 7 kilometres from the highway junction. I have previously noted birds near the Uriarra Crossing in the ACT and am seeing the species further and further out to Tharwa in farmland. It appears that we are well and truly losing the battle against this species locally. In Victoria I have seen the species well away from human habitation in rural areas; the same now appears to be happening locally.

 

Mark

 

PS, also of note on this trip were two Blue-winged Parrots seen flying at the Rose Garden Cafe in Cowra, the first of this species I have seen in a long time.