Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are native to Eurasia and northern Africa. It is now a global species having been introduced and become established in South Africa and North America. They were introduced into Australia and New Zealand in the mid 1880’s, both by acclimatisation societies and by others, in the vain hope that they might destroy insect pests.Starlings are common throughout the lower parts of New Zealand and are one of the most common species in lowland suburban and cleared agricultural areas of the south east of Australia. They also occur in open woodlands, irrigated pasture, feedlots, mulga, mallee, reed-beds around wetlands, coastal plains, and occasionally alpine areas. They avoid dense woodlands, forests, rainforest and arid regions. Their failure to colonise the apparently suitable habitat of south-west of Western Australia is due to continual control of emerging populations and the barrier of the Nullarbor Plains. Availability of water appears to be important to their survival hence high rainfall regions, irrigated areas, temporary surface water, and flooded drainage swamps support high densities.

Unlike many of the northern European native populations, starlings are relatively sedentary in Australia and New Zealand. They show no large-scale seasonal movements, although young individuals will travel distances of up to 2000 km when dispersing from breeding sites. In urban areas they are more sedentary with seasonal fluctuations in abundance due to high juvenile mortality and dispersal. However, small regional movements in response to food availability are common, particularly in cultivated and cleared agricultural areas.
After sunrise, starlings depart from large groups of up to 25 000 at roosting sites and disperse in smaller groups to a variety of feeding areas. They usually feed within 2 km of the roost, but can travel up to 80 km in areas of lower food availability. During autumn and winter, they form larger flocks, leave the roost earlier, travel greater distances and are less tied to particular feeding sites. During these seasons, short-term movements may centre on feeding areas rather than roosting or nesting locations.
Starlings require protein to live and breed with invertebrates comprising over half their daily food intake. They also consume fruit, berries, vegetables, meat and food scraps, and seeds of cultivated grains.
Starlings are seasonal breeders with a peak of breeding activity in August-September. They form pairs and nest in tree hollows, holes in the ground and gaps or crevices in cliffs, shrubs, tree stumps, fence posts and eaves and under rooves of buildings. Starlings produce 2-3 broods a year with an average of 4-6 eggs with each brood. The incubation period is 12 days and the young take 14 days to fledge.

Starlings can cause significant damage to horticultural industries, particularly cherries, grapes, blueberries, olives, stone fruits, apples, pears and a range of vegetable crops. They will also damage drying fruit and, occasionally, birds will remove fruit from drying racks. Cereal crops are susceptible when grain is freshly sown and during ripening. Grain from feedlots, storage areas, piggeries, dairies and poultry farms is often consumed. They can also carry many parasites and diseases which raise concern in food factories and industrial areas and are a potential risk to livestock industries. For example, they are implicated in carrying and in some cases transmitting Salmonella, Cryptococci, Newcastle Disease (poultry) and transmissible gastroenteritis (pigs), although the risks remain un-quantified. Environmental impacts centre round their aggressive competition for nest hollows which is potentially serious for some native species such as the double-eyed fig parrot and turquoise parrot.
Starlings are also considered to be a major nuisance in urban areas. They will nest under rooves where they can infest houses with bird lice, are often unwelcome in parks and shopping areas, especially at night where the roosting flocks can be unsightly, noisy and can contaminate the area with droppings.

Being such a widespread and common species, damage control is best achieved by action targeted to problem areas. Wide-scale population reduction is unlikely with currently available methods. Exclusion by netting to deny access to nesting and roosting areas is the most effective control method. Shock track installed to all ledges and parapets to stop birds from roosting.
Shooting and scare guns have only short term benefits at best with the birds rapidly adapting to the intrusion.

Silver Gulls, commonly known as “seagulls”, are Australian native birds that are part of our coastal
Environment, and as such they are protected under the Victorian Wildlife Act 1975. Under this
Legislation it is an offence to harm. Kill, destroy, take or injure protected wildlife by any means without a
permit.
In recent years there has been increasing numbers of seagulls nesting on buildings in urban areas,
such as the Frankston’s CBD and Docklands. Seagulls can breed all year, but according to the
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), the peak breeding season occurs from July to October each year.

Available food supply:
Silver gulls are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will take whatever food is available, and their
populations can increase when an abundant food supply is available.
Available roosting sites:
Available roosting sites in their natural habitat, beaches and headlands, are increasingly limited due to
their current overabundance. This has caused Silver Gulls to find alternative flat open areas to roost
such as roofs, car parks, boats and piers.
Lack of a natural predator:
The Peregrine Falcon is one of the Silver Gull’s natural predator of the Silver gulls and would have
assisted in maintaining silver gull numbers. Due to overdevelopment and loss of suitable habitat the
peregrine falcon is now rarely seen in Frankston.

The presence of seagulls has a number of potential impacts on buildings, such as:
• Blockage of gutters and flooding
• Contamination of stormwater off roofs
• Corrosion of metal roofs
• Amenity issues involving unsightly fouling of roofs, cars, work and recreation areas
• Creation of slip hazards
• Animal welfare

There are a number of preventative measures available to help reduce the impacts of seagulls
including:
• Restricting access to available food
• Roof exclusion structures
• Roof modifications to remove potential nesting sites
• Frightening seagulls by using recordings that imitate ’birds of prey’;
• Removal of egg and nesting material from roofs but only with a DSE permit to do so and using a
licensed wildlife handler.

Seagull numbers can be controlled by reducing their available food supply. This can be done through
not feeding them and ensuring that food waste is not left at sporting events, the beach and unsecured
in the street or in bins.
Any details regarding these activities should be reported to Council on1300 322 322

Roof Exclusion Structures
The most effective long term solution is the use of appropriately fitted roof exclusion structures which
prevents access to rooftops by Silver Gulls. When effective these structures will restrict Silver Gulls
from roosting on roofs, causing the abovementioned issues, and eliminate the risk of birds becoming
entangled.

• Made with UV stabilised material, to provide a long term solution
• Taut and checked regularly to maintain tension
• Installed by experience contractors who guarantee their structures
• Not harmful to Silver Gulls while excluding them
• Allows easy access for rooftop maintenance activities
• Eliminate access to the roof by Silver Gulls to roost

• Made with inferior material, for example fishing line, that only provides a short term solution
• Creates loose and broken lines that crossover
• Allows Silver Gulls to roost on the roof through access points
• Not allowing access for rooftop maintenance as inferior zip gate structures can corrode and fail

The feral pigeon is a descendant of the domestic homing pigeons introduced to Australia from European settlers.
Feral pigeon flocks have increased in numbers and dominate the urban landscape, agriculture and country towns due to the availability of:

No access to water or food.
Secure breeding sites.
As a result, there has been an increase in feral pigeon numbers in many of our cities and towns.
Action needs to be taken to help rectify the feral pigeon problem before the problem escalates.

They have a life span of 3 to 4 years in the wild and up to 16 years in captivity.
Pigeons are monogamous. A mating pair will have 3 to 4 broods per year of 1 to 2 eggs each.
Eggs are a solid white colour. They hatch in 18 days.
The young leave the nest within 35 days.
Pigeons do not migrate. They stay near their birth site (which may be your home).
Identifying a feral pigeon
The standard feral pigeon is generally:
Blue-grey with a white rump
Has iridescent feathers on its head and neck
Has 2 broad black bars across each wing
Has a broad dark band across the end of the tail.
Feral pigeons can also display white, brown or grey plumage.

The presence of pigeons can result in a range of problems.
When it comes to birds, there may be more than just avian flu to be worried about. It has been suggested that there are over 60 other diseases that birds and their droppings can carry. The problem is especially worrisome in residential areas, as many of them are airborne and can be transferred to humans just by being around droppings.
Chicken farms can be fairly easily secured. With a combination of visual scare devices, sonic distress call emitters, ultrasonic disrupters and roost inhibitors other birds shouldn’t be a problem. If farmers just took this preventative action it could help contain the bird flu outbreak a good deal.

Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease that may be fatal. It results from a fungus growing in dried bird droppings.

Psittacosis (parrot fever) is a rare disease that mainly affects parrots and parrot-like birds such as cockatiels, but can also affect other birds, such as pigeons. When bird droppings dry and become airborne people can inhale the fungus and become sick. In humans, symptoms include; dry cough, fever, headache, muscle ache, chills and sometimes pneumonia. Symptoms usually develop 7-14 days after exposure. Those at greatest risk include bird owners, pet shop employees, veterinarians and people with compromised immune systems. Psittacosis can be treated and is not transmitted from person to person.

Candidiasis is a yeast or fungus infection spread by pigeons. The disease affects the skin, the mouth, the respiratory system, the intestines and the urogenital tract, especially the vagina. It is a growing problem for women, causing itching, pain and discharge.

Cryptococcosis is caused by yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons and starlings. The illness often begins as a pulmonary disease and may later affect the central nervous system. Since attics, cupolas, ledges, schools, offices, warehouses, mills, barns, park buildings, signs, etc. are typical roosting and nesting sites, the fungus is apt to found in these areas.

St. Louis Encephalitis, an inflammation of the nervous system, usually causes drowsiness, headache and fever. It may even result in paralysis, coma or death. St. Louis encephalitis occurs in all age groups, but is especially fatal to persons over age 60. The disease is spread by mosquitoes which have fed on infected house sparrow, pigeons and house finches carrying the Group B virus responsible for St. Louis encephalitis.

Salmonellosis often occurs as “food poisoning” and can be traced to pigeons, starlings and sparrows. The disease bacteria are found in bird droppings; dust from droppings can be sucked through ventilators and air conditioners, contaminating food and cooking surfaces in restaurants, homes and food processing plants.

E.coli. Cattle carry E. coli 0157:H7. When birds peck on cow manure, the E. coli go right through the birds and the bird droppings can land on or in a food or water supply.

Besides being direct carriers of disease, nuisance birds are frequently associated with over 50 kinds of ectoparasites, which can work their way throughout structures to infest and bite humans. About two-thirds of these pests may be detrimental to the general health and well-being of humans and domestic animals. The rest are considered nuisance or incidental pests.

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) may consume up to five times their own weight in blood drawn from hosts which include humans and some domestic animals. In any extreme condition, victims may become weak and anemic. Pigeons, starlings and house sparrows are known to carry bed bugs.

Chicken mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) are known carriers of encephalitis and may also cause fowl mite dermatitis and acariasis. While they subsist on blood drawn from a variety of birds, they may also attack humans. They have been found on pigeons, starlings and house sparrows.

Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), perhaps the most common beetle parasites of people in the United States, live in pigeon nests. It is found in grain or grain products, often winding up in breakfast cereals, and may cause intestinal canthariasis and hymenolespiasis.

West Nile Virus while West Nile is technically not transmitted to humans from birds, humans can get infected by the bite of a mosquito who has bitten an infected bird. The obvious lesson is that the fewer birds there are in any given area, the better. This translates into a smaller chance of an infected bird in that area, a smaller chance of a mosquito biting an infected bird and then biting a human.

Damaging buildings and monuments due to the highly corrosive nature of acid in pigeon droppings
Damaging properties by pigeons roosting/breeding in roof spaces, rolled steel joists and inside factory units
Debris from roosting flocks building up, causing gutters and drains to block, damage to roofs and other structures, and creating potential fire hazards
Extensively damaging air-conditioning units and other roof top machinery
Pigeon droppings in/on industrial, commercial, and domestic buildings causing hygiene concerns
Introducing weeds and disease through pigeon droppings
Increasing the risk of disease and parasite transmission between feral, domestic and seabird populations
Escalating costs through public liability insurance from slipping on dropping build up.
Does your property have a pigeon problem?
Many property owners do not realise their building has a feral pigeon problem.
Factors which indicate a pigeon problem on your property include the following:
1 or 2 pigeons frequenting your yard/property
An accumulation of pigeon droppings on or around your property.
Once you recognise your property has a pigeon problem you will need to take action to prevent pigeons from roosting and nesting on/in the building.
If no action is taken the problem may escalate and more cost will be involved.
In the majority of cases, if corrective action is taken, the property should be pigeon proofed indefinitely.

Research has shown that only using lethal methods to control pigeons (culling) has its limitations as a long term control strategy.

Implementing non-lethal control techniques is the most effective long term solution to reducing the pigeon population, such as bird netting, spikes and shock track systems.

Remove sources of food and water such as:
Ensure that rubbish, especially from a food premises, is properly stored and food spillage is kept to a minimum.
Water is not readily available on site.
Destruction of nesting sites – pigeon nests are very simple and often consist of a few stiff twigs.
Look for nests along building ledges, bridge supports, air-conditioning units, window sills etc.
Pigeons are very persistent and destruction of the nest at regular intervals is often needed with a combination of other control methods.

It is important to prevent pigeons from gaining access to roosting and possible nesting.
Products such as netting (bird wire or mesh), wire coils or pigeon spikes prevent pigeons from landing or roosting on building surfaces.

Scare devices such as Bird kits and eagleye.
Application of gel products that pigeons find sticky and uncomfortable to stand on.
It will also be in the best interest for neighbouring properties to proof their property otherwise pigeons will quickly take up residence. This would move the problem rather than reduce the flock size.

Lethal control techniques only ever achieve short-term reduction (in most cases only 4 to 6 weeks).
The vacancies left by the removed pigeons can quickly be filled by juvenile birds.
After a few weeks the flocks may reach their earlier size or are even larger than before.

In many instances trapping does not have a long term effect on the pigeon population.
The number of birds caught and killed during trapping operations can be replaced as quickly as the birds are removed.
If the food source remains in situ the culling may act to increase pigeon numbers in a given area above the pre-cull number.
If you decide to implement a trapping program to remove resident pigeons the source of food must be removed, otherwise the trapping exercise may be pointless.

Licensed pest management technicians use a painless narcotic agent (Alpha-chloralose) which the birds eat and then go to sleep.
The theory is the birds will be collected while they are asleep. They are then humanely despatched (removed).
In some instances other birds which have accidentally consumed bait fly off after eating the food and this can lead to inhumane death.
It is important that if this control option is used professional advice is sought.
Again, you must remember to remove all sources of food otherwise the exercise may be pointless.

Licensed pest management technicians kill pigeons with a firearm to reduce pigeon numbers. This method of control can be effective where pigeon numbers are low and other options of control are limited.
Every situation will be assessed by the pest management technician to determine if shooting is a viable option.
As with all the above control methods, killing adults may also leave juvenile flightless birds in nests to die of starvation.

In Australia, the Common Myna is an invasive pest. They are now often the predominant bird in urban areas all along the East coast. In a 2008 popular vote, the bird was named “The Most Important Pest/Problem” in Australia, also earning the nickname “flying rats” due to their scavenging resembling that of rats.
The Common Myna was first introduced to Australia in Victoria between 1863 and 1872 into Melbourne’s market gardens to control insects. The bird is likely to have spread to New South Wales (where it is currently most populous) at around the same time, but documentation is uncertain. The bird was later introduced to Queensland as a predator of grasshoppers and cane beetles; the reasons for its original introduction to Victoria is however, lost in history. Currently, Common Myna populations in Australia are concentrated along the eastern coast around Sydney and its surrounding suburbs, with sparser populations in Victoria and a few isolated communities in Queensland. During 2009 several municipal councils in New South Wales began trials of catching Myna birds in an effort to reduce numbers.
The bird can live and breed in a wide range of temperatures, though it thrives in hotter regions. Self-sustaining populations of Common Myna have been found in regions of mean warmest month temperature no less than 23.2°C and mean coldest month temperature no less than -0.4°C, implying that the Common Myna could potentially spread from Sydney northward along the eastern coast to Cairns and westward along the southern coast to Adelaide (though not to Tasmania, Darwin, or across the Great Dividing Range to the arid interior regions).

The Common Myna or Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled Mynah, is a member of the family Sturnidae
Myna bird- native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments here in Australia and continues to spread.

The Common Myna is readily identified by the brown body, black hooded head and the bare yellow patch behind the eye. The bill and legs are bright yellow. There is a white patch on the outer primaries and the wing lining on the underside is white. The sexes are similar and birds are usually seen in pairs.

The calls includes croaks, squawks, chirps, clicks, whistles and ‘growls’, and the bird often fluffs its feathers and bobs its head in singing. The Common Myna screeches warnings to its mate or other birds in cases of predators in proximity or when its about to take off flying.

Common Mynas are believed to pair for life. They breed through much of the year depending on the location, building their nest in a hole in a tree or wall.
The normal clutch size is 4–6 eggs. The average size of the egg is 30.8 x 21.99 mm. The incubation period is 17 to 18 days and fledging period is 22 to 24 days. Nesting material used by mynas include twigs, roots, tow and rubbish. Mynas have been known to use tissue paper, tin foil and sloughed off snake-skin.
The Common Myna uses the nests of most Australian native birds, parakeets, etc. and easily takes to nest boxes; it has been recorded evicting the chicks of previously nesting pairs by holding them in the beak and later sometimes not even using the emptied nest boxes. This aggressive behavior is considered to contribute to its success as an invasive species.

Like most starlings, the Common Myna is omnivorous. It feeds on insects, arachnids, crustaceans, reptiles, small mammals, seeds, grain and fruits and discarded waste from human habitation. It forages on the ground among grass for insects, and especially for grasshoppers, from which it gets the generic name Acridotheres, “grasshopper hunter”. It however feeds on a wide range of insects, mostly picked from the ground. It is a cross-pollinator of flowers such as Salmalia and Erythrina. It walks on the ground with occasional hops and is an opportunistic feeder on the insects disturbed by grazing cattle as well as fired grass fields.

Common Mynas roost communally throughout the year, either in pure or mixed flocks with European Starlings. The roost population can range from less than one hundred to thousands. The time of arrival of Mynas at the roost starts before and ends just after sunset. The mynas depart before sunrise. The time and timespan of arrival and departure, time taken for final settlement at the roost, duration of communal sleep, flock size and population vary seasonally.
The function of communal roosting is to synchronise various social activities, avoid predators, exchange information about food sources.
Communal displays (pre-roosting and post-roosting) comprise of aerial maneuvers which are exhibited in the pre-breeding season (October to March). It is assumed that this behavior is related to pair formation.

The Common Myna thrives in urban and suburban environments; in Canberra, for instance, 110 Common Mynas were released between 1968 and 1971. By 1991, Common Myna population density in Canberra averaged 15 birds per square kilometer. Only three years later, a second study found an average population density of 75 birds per square kilometer in the same area.
The bird likely owes its success in the urban and suburban settings of Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra to its evolutionary origins; having evolved in the open woodlands of India, the Common Myna is pre-adapted to habitats with tall vertical structures and little to no vegetative ground cover, features characteristic of city streets and urban nature preserves.
The Common Myna (along with European Starlings, House Sparrows, and feral Rock Pigeons) is a nuisance to city buildings; its nests block gutters and drainpipes, causing water damage to building exteriors.

The IUCN declared this myna as one of the only three birds among the world’s 100 worst invasive species. (Other two invasive birds being Red-vented bulbul and European Starling) It has been introduced widely elsewhere, including adjacent areas in Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the Middle East, South Africa, Israel, North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and various oceanic islands, including a very prominent population in Hawaii.
The Common Myna is a pest in South Africa, North America, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and many Pacific islands. It is particularly problematic in Australia.

Being such a widespread and common species, damage control is best achieved by action targeted to problem areas. Wide-scale population reduction is unlikely with currently available methods. Exclusion by netting to deny access to nesting and roosting areas is the most effective control method. Shock track installed to all ledges and parapets to stop birds from roosting.
Shooting and scare guns have only short term benefits at best with the birds rapidly adapting to the intrusion.

The House or English Sparrow “is a brown, chunky bird, about 5.75 inches long.” Sparrows are commonly found around human-made habitats. “The male has a distinctive black bib, white cheeks, a chestnut mantle around the gray crown, and chestnut-colored feathers on the upper wings. The female and young have plane, dingy-gray breast, a distinct buff eye stripe, and a streaked back.”

The house sparrow can be found in almost every habitat, except for dense forest, desert, and alpine environments. Sparrows’ most common areas to live is human-altered habitats, for example: barns and houses. Livestock pastures and seeds provide plenty of food for sparrows.

Reproduction can occur during any month, but is most common during the months of March through August. “The male usually selects a nest site and controls a territory centered around it. Nests are bulky, roofed affairs, built haphazardly and without good workmanship.” This is a common trait of the weaver finch group of birds. “Sparrows are loosely monogamous.” Both male and female take care of the young, even though the female does most of the brooding. Sparrows lay between 3 to 7 eggs. The eggs will hatch 10 to 14 days after incubation. The young leave the nest after 15 days, however the adults will continue to feed the young for two weeks after leaving the nest. House sparrows are aggressive and social. Sparrows are not a migratory bird. Studies have shown that non-breeding adult and juveniles will only move in a 5 mile radius of its original nest; in search of new territories and feeding areas. “Mortality is the highest during the first year of life. The sparrow’s success in the wild depends on its ability to adapt to new habitats, especially those that are made by humans.

House sparrows feed on grains in fields and in storage. Because they feed in large numbers in small areas, their damage is considerable. “Because sparrows live in such close association with humans, they are a factor in the dissemination of diseases (chlamydiosis, cocidiosis, erysipeloid, Newcastle’s, parathypoid, pullorum, salmonellosis, transmissile gastroeneteritis, tuberculosis, various encphalitis viruses, vibriosis, and yersinosis), internal parasites (acariasis, taeniasis, schistosomiasis, toxoplosmosis, and trichomoniasis), and household pests (bed bugs, carpet beetles, clothes moths, fleas, lice, mites, and ticks.” Fecal contamination of grain storage facilities causes serious monetary damage as well as health risks and pest problems. “House sparrow droppings and feathers create janitorial problems as well as hazardous, unsanitary, and odoriferous situations inside and outside of buildings and sidewalks under roosting areas. Sparrows can cause structural damage by pecking at rigid foam insulation inside of buildings. “The bulky, flammable nests of house sparrows are a potential fire hazard.” House sparrows compete with native American birds for favored nesting sites.

Eliminate any possible areas that could be used to secure a nest or could be a roosting area.

• Bird Netting
• Shock Track
• Mist net
• Trapping