Common Mynas in Darebin

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Common Mynas (Acridotheres tristis) were introduced to Victoria in the 1860s to control garden pests. Instead of solving the problem, they became one. These birds have spread rapidly across eastern Australia and are now common in Darebin’s streets, parks, and gardens.

Why Are Common Mynas a Problem?

Common Mynas are highly adaptable and aggressive. They thrive in urban areas and pose a threat to native wildlife. Here's how:

  • They compete for nesting sites and food: Mynas push out native birds and small animals from tree hollows and other nesting spots.
  • They eat a wide range of foods: Their diet includes insects, fruit, eggs and chicks of other birds, human food scraps, and pet food.

Common Myna vs Noisy Miner: Know the Difference

Common Mynas are often confused with Noisy Miners, a native bird that is also aggressive with smaller birds. Understanding the differences helps guide appropriate actions:  

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Feature

Common Myna

Noisy Miner

Origin

Introduced to Australia

Native species (protected under Wildlife Act 1975)

Appearance

Brown body with a yellow eye patch and white wing patch

Grey body with black crown and yellow eye patch

Call

Loud, varied squawks and whistles

Constant chattering and piping

Diet

Opportunistic: insects, fruit, scraps, pet food, eggs, chicks

Nectar, insects, and fruit

 

Did You Know?

While Noisy Miners are native, their territorial behaviour can still harm biodiversity.

Human activities like clearing native vegetation and establishing parks and gardens with open lawn areas have made it easier for noisy miners to thrive. These changes to the environment since colonisation have led to a big increase in their numbers.

In high numbers, they harass small native birds - like superb fairywrens and spotted pardalotes - and exclude them from gardens, parklands, and bushland areas. This reduces the variety of bird species in urban spaces. Because of this, noisy miners are officially listed as a key threatening process under Australia's main environmental law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act 1999). 

Check out Dr. Jacinta Humphrey’s research to learn more about the impacts of Noisy Miners on bush birds, and explore simple actions we all can take to support bird diversity in our cities:

Read the Birds in the 'burbs' PDF(PDF, 3MB)

What you can do to help

You can make your garden less attractive to Common Mynas and Noisy Miners, and more welcoming to smaller native birds. Here's how:

Make your garden wildlife friendly

  • Reduce open lawn areas that favour aggressive species.
  • Plant dense indigenous shrubs to give small birds places to hide and nest.
  • Remove introduced plants like palms that provide shelter or food for Common Mynas.
  • Need help getting started? Sign up for a free Gardens for Wildlife visit to get personalised advice from our trained volunteers.

Remove Food Sources

Block nesting sites

  • Install gutter guards to prevent Mynas from nesting in them.

What is Darebin doing to manage Common Mynas?

We're taking a long-term, nature-based approach to support native biodiversity and reduce the dominance of aggressive bird species like Common Mynas and Noisy Miners. Our actions include:

  • Protecting and restoring bushland areas to support native biodiversity and habitat.
  • Revegetating parks through our Rewilding Program to create more safe spaces for wildlife across Darebin.
  • Supporting residents through the Darebin Gardens for Wildlife program to transform their gardens into refuges for native species.

By improving habitat across both public and private land, we make it harder for invasive species to spread, and easier for native species to thrive.

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