Introduced to Australia from south east Asia in the 1860’s, the myna (not to be mistaken for the Noisy Miner, a native honeyeater) is found mainly in and around major cities, namely Brisbane, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Launceston.
Like the starling, the myna competes with native birds for nest sites, mainly hollows in trees. They breed from October to March and have three to six eggs. An active energetic bird, they are usually seen scavaging in city parks. They have stayed closer to man than the starling and haven’t spread to the larger inland farming areas in any great numbers yet.
They will eat virtually anything and in some vineyards and orchards, usually not far from major centres, they have become a pest.
The multi sound devices such as Bird-X 1, Bird-X 8, Crop Gard etc all have fairly good results in keeping Mynas out. The Bird Gard Laser is also effective on Indian Mynas in low light conditions.