Miner vs mynah

One of the battles being fought out in Westleigh, and many other Sydney suburbs, is the one between these two birds. Miner vs Mynah it is, or Aussie vs Indian. They're both a bit noisy and both rather aggressive, but the chocolate brown interloper gets most of the bad press.

The native, the Noisy Miner, is actually a type of honeyeater. The Common Mynah, also known as the Indian Myna, is an introduced exotic, much like the Common Starling, which lately has become less common than its name suggests.

The three species are similar in size and shape, and compete for the urban and suburban ecological niche. I think it's true that while the starling is in decline, it's the native that's once again on top. It's been helped along by all the vicious propaganda against the Indians, about how they aggressively exclude other birds and how they're on a list of the the most invasive species in the world (City of Sydney website). There's even been the emergence of groups of vigilante humans determined to eradicate them. Sometimes you see little skirmishes between bands of Noisys and Indians, fighting for territory, garden by garden and street by street.

The City of Sydney says you can discourage the aggressive Indians by planting predominantly natives. It then goes on to say you can avoid the aggressive 'native pests', the miners, by avoiding planting natives. So take your pick!

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