The Indian myna, a highly invasive bird pest, has been found in Weipa, sparking the community’s concern for their native species. Photo: Dr John Horsfall.
Weipa may be a welcoming community, but no one is rolling out the red carpet for the Indian myna.
Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of the 100 most invasive species in the world, the Indian mynas have a track record of having a significant detrimental impact on native bird species.
A pair of the pests was discovered by the Evolution Mining and Civil team earlier this month, with managing director Sandra Kemp adding it was the first time she had heard of the pest in Weipa.
“We were just reviewing the area and we pulled up to speak to a team, and they were just there on the ground close to where we were,” Ms Kemp said.
“One of our supervisors, who’s very knowledgeable about birds, spotted it and he was very upset.
“When I reported it to WTA (Weipa Town Authority), it was new to them, too, so they had to do a bit of investigation into what problems they could bring to our community and what could be done.”
WTA Chair Jaime Gane said it was still early days, but added ensuring the pests did not become an issue was a priority.
“We are working on getting together everyone who needs to be across this and figure out the best way to deal with them,” she said.
“There’s nothing set in stone at this point in time, but the Evolution guys are really onto it, they’re keeping an eye out and reporting, because they’re the ones who are out and about the most often.”
Artemis Nature Fund senior conservation officer and bird expert Patrick Webster said the aggressive and territorial nature of the Indian myna made them a threat to native bird species.
“There’s definitely competition for nesting sites and food resources, and it’s a species that’s well-known for their aggression,” he said.
“The Indian myna birds, to my knowledge, are pretty big carriers of diseases like avian malaria, so that’s also concerning for native bird species.
“Thinking in the context of Australia and all the invasive species we’ve got and all the threatened native species we have, we know that invasive species have led to the decline and extinction of dozens of Australian species.”
