1. Invasive Species Lesson
Myna Birds
Credits (Top to bottom): Image of common myna by T G Santosh - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Image of jungle myna By J.M.Garg - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

2. What are we going to learn today?
What are mynas birds?.
Where the myna birds came from and how they arrived in our country.
The problems they cause to our people, our agriculture and our natural environment.
The meaning of the word ‘Omnivore’.
Success stories of myna bird control.
Credits: Cat image 1 courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC 

3. Activity Time! Pass the idea (Part 1)
Credits: Bird flock image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC 

4. Pass the idea Instructions
You will be grouped into groups of 4-5.
In front of each group is a piece of paper.
You will take it in turns to write down what you know about myna birds.  
You will then pass the paper clockwise, read the notes written, and add to it.  
This procedure continues everyone in the group has written on the paper.
Credits: Bird flock image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC 

5. What is a Myna?
Two species myna bird species are present in the Pacific region, the common myna and the jungle myna.
The yellow patch of skin on the side of the eye can be used to distinguish the 2 species.
The common myna has the yellow patch while the jungle myna does not.
Also, the jungle myna is slightly smaller and thinner than the common myna.
Myna birds use hollows in trees as nest sites to lay eggs.
Credits (Top to bottom): Image of common myna by T G Santosh - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Image of jungle myna By J.M.Garg - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

6. Where did myna birds come from?
Both species are native to Asia. Either or both of these two species are now established in Fiji, French Polynesia, Samoa, Tonga, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna.
Historically, myna birds were introduced as biological control agents for insects.
More recent introductions have been facilitated by the ability of myna birds to hitchhike or stowaway on sea vessels. 
Credits: Birds image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC,

7. Problems caused by myna birds
Myna birds live closely with humans in places such as farmlands and villages.
They are omnivores, this means that they eat both plants and animals.
The mynas eat fruits, grains, flower nectar and insects.
They also scavenge on street litter and at rubbish dumps.
Myna birds damage crops, and extra work is required to protect soft fruits, such as tomatoes, and bananas.
Credits (Clockwise from Top): Flowers image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Honey image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Birds image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Banana image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Tomato image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Wheat image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Caterpillar image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Butterfly image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Recycle Bin image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC,

8. Myna bird management
Preventing myna birds from arriving in new locations is best. This will include identifying and managing how they can come in such as on ships.
We also need to be on the look out and detect any myna birds as early as possible.
A combination of methods have been used to control myna birds: trapping, use of bait, and shooting.
Also, reducing access to food sources and destroying nests may slow population growth and help with controlling or removing of myna birds.
Credits: © Allan Burne – Pacific Biosecurity, Recycle Bin image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC,

9. Success stories from the Pacific
Myna birds have been eradicated on Tarawa in Kiribati in A small number of birds located at Betio were also removed.
In Tahiti, a combination of trapping by a network of community members, poison baiting and shooting were successfully used in to reduce myna populations at the entrances to the valleys.
On Atiu, Cook Islands, a combination of trapping, shooting and poison bait appears to have been successful in reducing to zero density the myna population on this island. As of March 2016, there have no public reports of myna birds.

10. Activity Time! Pass the idea (Part 2)
Credits: Bird flock image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC 

11. Pass the idea Instructions
You will be grouped into groups of 4-5.
In front of each group is a piece of paper.
You will take it in turns to write down what you have learnt about myna birds.  
You will then pass the butcher paper clockwise, read the notes written, and add to it.  
This procedure continues everyone in the group has written on the paper.
Credits: Bird flock image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC 

12. Activity Time! Pass the Idea Gallery Walk
Credits: Bird flock image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC 
Teacher to ask students to put up their paper and to have time for everyone to have a look at other group’s papers. If there is no time, teacher can decide to have the posters put up later and leave them up for a few days so the students can view at their own leisure.

13. What we have learnt today
Two species myna bird species are present in the Pacific region, the common myna and the jungle myna.
The yellow patch of skin on the side of the eye can be used to distinguish the 2 species. The jungle myna is slightly smaller and thinner than the common myna.
Myna birds are omnivores. They eat both plant and animals.
Recent introductions of myna birds have been on sea vessels. 
Preventing myna birds from arriving in new locations is best. This will include identifying and managing how they can come in such as on ships.
A combination of methods have been used to control myna birds: trapping, use of bait, and shooting. Also, reducing access to food sources and destroying nests may slow population growth and help with controlling or removing of myna birds.
Credits: Bird flock image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC 

14. See you next time!
Credits: Image from Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

15. References CABI database ISSG database
John Parkes (2008). Feasibility Plan to Eradicate Common Mynas (Acridotheres tristis) from Mangaia Island, Cook Islands.
Prasad, R. R. and Christi, K. (2014) Physical Method of Control on Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) In Sigatoka-Fiji Islands. IJES 3(3):
SPREP (2016). Manage myna birds in the Paci­fic.

16. Image Credits
Slide 1 and 5: Image of common myna by T G Santosh - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Image of jungle myna By J.M.Garg - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Slide 3-4, 10-13: Bird flock image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 6: Birds image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Slide 7: Flowers image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Honey image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Birds image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Banana image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Tomato image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Wheat image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Caterpillar image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Butterfly image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Recycle Bin image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Slide 8: Ship image and harbour image © Allan Burne – Pacific Biosecurity, Recycle Bin image courtesy of unnamed author - License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Slide 14: Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net