Distribution and abundance of introduced Common and Javan Mynas in metropolitan and suburban areas of Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo

• Main Authors: Nurul Ashikeen, Ab Razak, Hii, Francis Dai Sze, Mohamad Fizl Sidq, Ramji, Andrew Alek, Tuen, Mohd-Azlan, Jayasilan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Open Journal System 2019
• Subjects: Q Science (General); QL Zoology
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/25818/1/Andrew%20Alek.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/25818/; http://kukila.org/index.php/KKL/index
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Counts of the invasive Common Myna Acridotheres tristis and Javan Myna A. javanicus were carried out in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, Borneo, and in surrounding suburbs, over a period of 30 months from July 2013 to December 2015. Ten areas were sampled each month using 3 km-long line transects. Combining all 30 months, a total of 3,913 mynas were counted, of which 75% were Common Mynas, and 25% Javan Mynas. Population densities were estimated at 0.78 and 0.72 individuals ha-1 for Common and Javan Mynas, respectively. The Common Myna was widely distributed in Kuching and suburbs of Kota Samarahan division, whereas the Javan Myna was confined to metropolitan Kuching. The distribution of these two species was thought to be influenced mostly by food and nest site availability.