Sturnus tristis
The Common Myna has probably the biggest increase in population of any species of the survey. There was a 25-fold increase from 1981 to 1995-96. In the first year of the survey this bird was 37th in the list of abundance. By 2005 it has risen in rank to third. The increase was initially slow but became substantial from 1987 onwards. Mynas were most common in southern Canberra at the start of the survey. They spread slowly through central Canberra to the northern suburbs and Belconnen. However, since 2005 the population has declined dropping to 12th in the list of abundance in 2007, perhaps as a result of the work of the trapping activities of the Canberra Indian Myna Action group (CIMAG).
Numbers recorded are lowest in October and November, rising to a peak in June. They are social birds and compete aggressively for nesting hollows. Inspection of hollows and nest building begins from August, though most nest building occurs in October. Most dependent young are noted from November to January, up to the end of March. Breeding records have increased markedly over the period of the survey, with none in the first year, to a third of breeding charts in 1995-96. R=27. BR=12.
