Fully accept that anecdotal evidence can be found to support a lot of
phenomena. My tongue in cheek remarks are really aimed at the practice of
blaming the animal for a problem we may create through our habitat
alteration. The Mynahs may like hollows but they prefer that they are in a
built up urban or peri-urban setting with lots of human discards to forage
amongst. Ciao
From: Chris Sanderson
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 10:40 AM
To: Chris Lloyd
Cc:
Subject: Allies Against foreign Invader
Hi Chris,
The danger of making claims (both on the evils of the Common Mynah, and like
yours, against those claims) is that they are mostly based on anecdotal
evidence. Without saying that they are definitely bad or definitely not a
threat, I can offer an easy counter-example to your observations - I watched
a group of Common Mynahs defend the best tree hollow in my local park
against all comers. They actually turfed a pair of Galahs out of the hollow
that had already begun to nest, and then successfully kept Rainbow Lorikeets
and Pale-headed Rosellas out of the hollow for the rest of the season. I
have a flock of 100 Common Mynahs living in my local area and while I have a
good diversity of birds in that park, I am sure that this vigorous
interference in the breeding activities of the natives must have some
impact, particularly when hollows are such a scarce resource.
Regards,
Chris
On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 9:50 AM, Chris Lloyd <> wrote:
So this is the species that represent such a potent threat to Australian
avian biodiversity? I have 'research report' to a NSW coastal suburb which
claims that the Common Mynah is responsible or potentially responsible for,
inter alia, the spread of avian influenza and salmonella, introduction of
bird lice, displacement of Rainbow Lorikeet populations, eviction of
Ringtails from dreys, possessing weapons of mass destruction and being of
middle eastern appearance. Needless to say the research appears to stem from
a purveyor of cages and gas chambers for the disposal of said species where
they have invaded natural McMansion habitat and displaced all the 'natives'
like Noisy Miners, Rainbow Lorikeets ad nausea.
My experience of watching a population of Noisy Miners and Mynahs is that
the latter consistently lost their shopping centre territory to the
adaptable Manorina and its asymmetric warfare tactics. Anyone living around
the "Shire" may also have noticed that, like dominos, street trees used by
Mynahs as communal roosts are falling to the WRX of avian world the sugar
fuelled T. Haematodus.
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