How to deter/discourage/get rid of Noisy Indian Mynah birds

[Lyle]

Any suggestions for eliminating these feral feathered pests from my yard.
I've had rosellas nesting successfully two years in row. But now these feral mynahs are trying to take over the nesting box. They can't get in but do chase all the other birds away.
Talk about persistent....
I've chased them, but sneaky buggas keep coming back.
I've called Council and parks and wildlife but no good suggestions.
Any good suggestions out there??? Trap designs, scare away thingies?????
Thanks Lyle

[Mobyturns]

A couple of local Men's Shed's here in Far North QLD were making and selling Mynah traps, perhaps try them.

They are quite intelligent birds so learn to adapt quickly. Traps don't work for long. We had an Indian Mynah chick "adopt" us 30 years ago and we kept it as a pet as our children were young and infatuated with it. We only had it with us for six months until a neighbour "acquired it" as we could hear it regularly even though they denied having it.

It is a shame that they have become such a pest, but then Magpies do the same in bullying other birds and competitors out of their "new territory." We have had a family of around a dozen Magpies, move into our street and obviously being fed by residents further down the street. They canvas each house daily for a free feed and along with Mynahs will set up a distraction for dogs and cats so that they can get access to a pets kibble bowl.

The natural world really is brutal. We have a wide range of native birds visit our suburban back yard and constantly watch the robust stoushes between Red Eye Fig Eaters and Bower Birds with Torres Strait Pigeons staying in the background and out of the stoush but all are competing for the seeds on McArthur and Alexander Palms. Also Spangled Drongos trying to drive off a Blue Wing Kookaburra who is obviously looking for their nest and a quick meal.

[apple8]

We had Indian Mynah birds, 489493 which are my least favourite birds, many years ago come take over the area to the detriment of the native birds for several years until these guys, 489494 Noisy Miners, came along and drove them out several years ago. They are also territorial and a bit aggressive but other native birds have now returned to the area.

[Chris Parks]

Corrimal Men's Shed makes traps.Corrimal Community Men's Shed Inc. - Corrimal Community Men's Shed (https://corrimalmensshed.weebly.com)

[Lyle]

Yep. They are persistent and aggressive buggas.
It's a game now, I chase them away, they sneak back. But they give themselves away by calling out to their mates. Then we start over. 🤣
Trapping works, once. Then the have learnt to keep out of the trap.
Shooting would work, except I have no gun and we're suburban.
I've modified the nest box to keep them out successfully. Just got to get them away from the yard.

[Mobyturns]

We had Indian Mynah birds, which are my least favourite birds, many years ago come take over the area to the detriment of the native birds for several years until these guys, Noisy Miners, came along and drove them out several years ago. They are also territorial and a bit aggressive but other native birds have now returned to the area.


I was reading an article about how Noisy Miners are also dominant and drive other species out, however this story about its close relative the Bell Miner is a concerning behavourial trait. It seems both the Bell & Noisy Miners may be implicated,

Bell miners farming sap-loving insects for food, with disastrous consequences for eucalypt forests - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-02-03/eucalypt-dieback-link-to-bell-miner-farming-of-sap-loving-insect/13113418)

Aggressive exclusion of birds from woodland and forest habitat by abundant Noisy Miners Manorina melanocephala – key threatening process listing (nsw.gov.au) (https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/-/media/OEH/Corporate-Site/Documents/Animals-and-plants/Scientific-Committee/Determinations/2013/noisy-miners-nsw-scientific-committee-final-determination.pdf?la=en&hash=5DACDE988E6F90E9A691925DDE05D819B0BA3F3D)

[China]

Makes you wonder what we pay council rates for should be their problem.

[crowie]

you could make your own trap

Buy or Build a Myna trap – CVCIA Landcare (https://cvcia.org.au/common-mynas/build-a-trap/)

[woodPixel]

They are a big problem in Canberra.

There is a local alliance that shows how to trap and kill them.

Previous place had (seemingly) hundreds when we moved in. It was terrible. I hate killing anything, for any reason, so devised a Cunning Plan.

There was a great garden, but no birds.

So, I put out cat food late at night. Cheap kibble (Whiskas). The magpies soon learned that breakfast was available and built up quickly (~23 at peak). They ate the food, hung around for 20 minutes and disappeared. The IM's soon disappeared -they saw the writing on the wall....

The garden flooded with rosellas, sulphur cresties, mitchels, finches and other wonders. The garden sprang to life. Lots more bugs! Soil improved, my veggie gardens loved it.

The magpies were fun too.

[Lyle]

Thanks for the link to the trap. Off to big green shed to buy materials for the trap.
We've got a few magpies that roam the front of the place along the street.
But the back seems to be the mynahs domain. I've cleaned out a couple of nests so far. But that just seemed to spur them on.
Seems like catch and euthanasia is my best option.

[JohnQ]

Lyle
Seen this trap some years ago, developed by a uni in Canberra. The follow link is a PDF of the trap & usage instructions.

JohnQ

http://www.indianmynaaction.org.au/documents/PeeGeeTrapPlansrev%20June%2013.pdf
(http://www.indianmynaaction.org.au/documents/PeeGeeTrapPlansrev%20June%2013.pdf)

[cava]

I have been reliably informed that a mixture of Tomcat rat poison blocks (crushed) and mixed with jam. You will need a lot as they gobble it down very quickly - two days later all gone. Probably 100+.

[Lyle]

Thanks Cava, but I'm not sure I could do the poison. Not squeamish at the thought, but what'd happen to other birds or what happens to the dead birds after.

[Mobyturns]

Thanks Cava, but I'm not sure I could do the poison. Not squeamish at the thought, but what'd happen to other birds or what happens to the dead birds after.

Not fun finding animals suffering a slow painful death.

[Old Croc]

I had a problem with both Pidgons and Myna birds. Traps didn't work, they would just walk around them, so a crafty old bugger told me to buy some crushed wheat chook food and soak it with metho. You have to be on guard to protect non target species, but they come in, gorge themselves, fall over drunk . Pick them up and kill them, problem reduced, not solved, because some idiots in my suburb feed the rotten things.
Rgds,
Crocy.

[riverbuilder]

A freind of mine has a contract to trap them at public schools. He leaves the trap open for a few days to let them get used to coming and going, then closes the exit so they can only come in, but they think the ones in there are having a feed and followthem in, then he catches them all.

[Beardy]

I have been reliably informed that a mixture of Tomcat rat poison blocks (crushed) and mixed with jam. You will need a lot as they gobble it down very quickly - two days later all gone. Probably 100+.

The Tomcat ingredients will mean a very slow death not to mention the birds of prey and other animals that will die from ingesting the poisoned bird

[Mr Brush]

A .22 does the trick. I'm not allowed to shoot them off the backs of our cattle though. :oo:

[Lyle]

I've been partly successful in that they've stopped nest building. Probably too late for them now. But they still harrass the locals.
I'll build a trap and go from there. I'll shift the trap and disguise it too. Hopefully this'll keep it working.
Shooting, poisoning won't work here. At least they're not being fed as far as I know.

[aldav]

If you find nests an option is to take the eggs, hard boil them and put them back in the nest. The birds will sit on those eggs for the whole of the nesting season. :D