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A citizen‐trapper effort to control Common Myna: Trap success, specificity and preferred bait type
Author(s) -
Linley Grant D.,
Paton David C.,
Weston Michael A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
ecological management and restoration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.472
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1442-8903
pISSN - 1442-7001
DOI - 10.1111/emr.12269
Subject(s) - trap (plumbing) , biology , population , ecology , geography , demography , meteorology , sociology
Summary 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.