THE IMPACT OF 2 EXOTIC HOLLOW-NESTING BIRDS ON 2 NATIVE PARROTS IN SAVANNA AND WOODLAND IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA

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 Acridothe res tristis and starling Sturnus vulgaris, are present. The two exotic sturnids were shown to be the dominant users of available nest resour ces (nest-boxes and natural hollows) in the study sites. The myna was successful in most aggressive encounters with starling and the two nat ive parrots during the period of nest-site selection and occupancy. Th ere was evidence of partitioning of nest resources between species in the different areas and habitats available. The exotic sturnids, parti cularly the myna, demonstrated the potential to reduce the breeding su ccess of the native parrots studied. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Scien ce Limited