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A citizen-trapper effort to control Common Myna: trap success, specificity and preferred bait type

journal contribution
posted on 2017-09-01, 00:00 authored by G D Linley, D C Paton, Mike WestonMike Weston
We describe a community-run effort to cull Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) in Melbourne undertaken with modest funding (overall: $30.14 per trap day, $5.17 per euthanized Common Myna). Trap success (overall, 0.04 birds per trap per day) peaked early in the effort and slowly declined. Trap specificity was high (83.8%) and similar between bait types. Dry cat food captured more Common Myna, and a similar assemblage of animals, to dry dog food. Bread baits captured a broader assemblage of animals. The community-led trapping programme reduced the mean density of Common Myna and achieved high target specificity with relatively few unintended trap deaths. While long-term impacts on the population of Common Myna or native birds are yet to be analysed, the results suggest that ongoing effort is required for population suppression.

History

Journal

Ecological management and restoration

Volume

18

Issue

3

Pagination

249 - 252

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Location

Chichester, Eng.

ISSN

1442-7001

eISSN

1442-8903

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2017, Ecological Society of Australia and John Wiley & Sons Australia

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