The impact of two exotic hollow-nesting birds on two native parrots in savannah and woodland in eastern Australia Original Research Article

This paper examines factors which could influence the breeding success of native parrots in savannah and woodland areas in which substantial populations of the introduced hollow-nesting sturnids, myna Acridotheres tristis and starling Sturnus vulgaris, are present. The two exotic sturnids were shown to be the dominant users of available nest resources (nest-boxes and natural hollows) in the study sites. The myna was successful in most aggressive encounters with starling and the two native parrots during the period of nest-site selection and occupancy. There was evidence of partitioning of nest resources between species in the different areas and habitats available. The exotic sturnids, particularly the myna, demonstrated the potential to reduce the breeding success of the native parrots studied.