Indian Myna Control
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The Indian Myna
Tweed's new (and very
unwelcome) resident
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The Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) is also known as the Common Myna or House Myna. Indian Mynas occur naturally in tropical southern Asia but have been deliberately introduced into many areas outside of its native range as a potential biological control agent of insects, particularly locusts and grasshoppers (the name Acridotheres literally means grasshopperhunter).
Throughout its introduced range and its native range, the Indian Mynas distribution seems to be closely tied to that of people. They thrive in modified habitats including urban areas and open country near human settlement, roadside vegetation and agricultural land.
Indian Mynas were introduced into Australia some time between 1862 and 1872. The main sites of release were Melbourne and Cairns. They now occur along the length of Australia’s east coast.
Residents of the Tweed first started seeing Indian Mynas in 2000. At this time, they were only here in low numbers, and mainly only seen from around Tweed Heads. The numbers of Indian Mynas in the Tweed have since exploded! They are now present throughout the Tweed Local Government area, invading both the urban and rural landscapes.
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