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Eradication of a highly invasive bird, the Common Myna Acridotheres tristis, facilitates the establishment of insurance populations of island endemic birds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2021

CHRIS J. FEARE Open the ORCID record for CHRIS J. FEARE [Opens in a new window] ,
RACHEL M. BRISTOL  and
JANSKE VAN DE CROMMENACKER
CHRIS J. FEARE
Affiliation:
WildWings Bird Management, 2 North View Cottages, Grayswood Common, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 2DN, UK.
RACHEL M. BRISTOL
Affiliation:
La Batie, Beau Vallon, Mahé, Seychelles.
JANSKE VAN DE CROMMENACKER*
Affiliation:
Denis Private Island / Green Islands Foundation, P.O. Box 246, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles.
*
*Author for correspondence; e-mail [email protected]
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Summary

Common Myna Acridotheres tristis is considered to be among the world’s most damaging invasive species through disturbance, predation, competition pathogen introduction to native birds and other taxa. Claimed impacts on native birds have often been based on anecdotal reports. More substantive evidence of interference with small-island endemic birds has been reported, but impacts have rarely been quantified or subjected to experimental manipulation. On Denis Island (Seychelles), up to 10% of Seychelles Warblers Acrocephalus sechellensis, and small numbers of Seychelles Fodies Foudia sechellesis and Seychelles Paradise Flycatchers Terpsiphone corvina had head injuries following myna attacks, stimulating an eradication of the mynas. Populations of four species of Seychelles’ endemic birds, introduced to the island to establish insurance populations, were estimated before, during and after the completion of the eradication, permitting assessment of the impact of myna removal on populations of the endemics. Numbers of all four endemics increased following introduction, but increases in the numbers of Seychelles Magpie Robins Copsychus sechellensis and Seychelles Paradise Flycatchers accelerated after >90% of the mynas had been removed. All endemic populations continued to increase during and after completion of the eradication in 2015, and injuries to Seychelles Warblers, Seychelles Fodies, and Seychelles Paradise Flycatchers ceased. Habitat management within a designated conservation zone on the island, into which the endemics were released and subsequently spread to occupy most of the island, also contributed to the endemic birds’ global populations and to their improved conservation status. This study confirms that mynas negatively impact small island populations of endemic birds and suggests that their potential impact has been underestimated. Myna eradication should be considered vital before endangered endemic birds and other taxa susceptible to their negative impacts are translocated to small islands for conservation reasons.

Keywords

Common MynaAcridotheres tristiseradication benefitinvasive alien species impactendemic birdsisland ecosystemshabitat creationconservation
Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , September 2022 , pp. 439 - 459
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

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