Ludwig/Morgonzola, do me this favor Goggle them, see we have myna birds native to this country.
And we have these flying rats.
You seem not to have them could not ever support them if you did.
Been 8 years from my last fishing trip, to Australia's best fishing spot, Evans head on the north coast of NSW.
It like every sea side caravan or camping park has great trees and at least 500 invaders, these birds whitewash the ground under the trees.
NO SMALL Native bird is safe so Goggle then tell me what you think
Lexi sadly its a rip of, pest control FEAR using baits, want too but one dead native is big trouble.
So they set traps, badly, these birds can think, see is mise post, if a human goes near the trap it is never visited again.
Out two fellow posters may wish to know, I will post links, nearly every coastal council PROVIDES FREE TRAPS and information on how to gas them.
Up the coast a granny and granddad club exists to kill these birds.
They set traps pre dawn and empty them after dark.
I would prefer baits, remember few birds left to compete and I can watch and be sure only they eat it from my white washed veranda.
Goggle it Ludwig/Morgonzola, then consider what is just above my veranda, my water catchment area/ roof drains leading to tank.
No harm indeed.

My apologies, Belly. I was trying to make a funny, but it evidently fell flat...

Yes, seriously I tend to agree with you. Where Indian mynas congregate in numbers they obviously present a health hazard from their excreta, disease risk etc. They would obviously compete with native birds, but as Ludwig says they tend to congregate in urban areas and on farms rather than bushland.

I don't know how you'd go about controlling them though. Poison baits would be too indiscriminate and shooting would be impractible, given their numbers and the fact that they tend to congregate in developed areas. Maybe some kind of yet-to-be-discovered biological agent?

I haven't seen a native (grey) myna in Townsville for a long time. The brown (Indian) ones are everywhere but, as Ludwig says, so are a number of native birds. I guess the mynas have been around for longer than me, so I have no idea what varieties of birdlife I'm missing out on.

I'd suggest a paint ball gun firing glue capsules instead of paint but then you'd come up against the firearms laws again.
Any water pistol/gun that was powerful enough to squirt Golden Syrup would probably need a licence as well.

http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/newposts/474/post474079.shtm

Organisations/Local Councils
Please contact your local council for the contact details of the Area
Coordinators for the Indian Myna Bird Project.
• Greater Taree City Council (02) 6592 5399
Environmental Health
• Port Macquarie - Hastings Council (02) 6581 8111
• Great Lakes Council (02) 6591 7313
• Hallidays Point Tidy Towns (02) 6559 2979
• Manning Landcare (02) 6557 0244
• Hastings Landcare (02) 6586 4465
• F.A.W.N.A Hotline 0500 861 405
• National Parks and (02) 6552 4097
Wildlife Service, Taree
Websites
• Indian Myna Control Project
www.indianmyna.org
• Birds in Backyards
www.birdsinbackyards.net
• Canberra Indian Myna Action Group
www.indianmynaaction.org.au
• Central Coast Indian Myna Action Group
www.ccimag.asn.au
The Indian

http://www.indianmyna.org/documents/Indian_Myna_Handbookl.pdf

It may well be Ludwig has no numbers or maybe just none of them.
I live in a rural village of about twenty homes.
Our park was ounce the home, true of 20 mag pies,white ones among them.
Mum,in a rented home we then lived in fed them, as did others, we fought out siders who tried to trap and steal the white ones.
They are gone, on buying my home I fed all the parrots the Kookaburras and Maggy's.
They stay out of town now.
The white hawk, not sure what it is, once hovered over the paddock next door, diving for a mouse and helped me enjoy just haveing my coffee while sitting out there.
No cruelty involved I will find a poison.
It will be quicker than the gassing, better than a bloke who puts his, trap and all, in to a 44 gallon drum and drowns them.
Yet ,links here show how bad it is, once the park group got removed, I have no idea how or by who,wish I did, we have two Lady's here.saving them exclusively.
And releasing them , the dangers next post.