Common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis) Μάινα - Limassol - Cyprus 17/2/2022

At the end January, 3 individuals of a never before seen in Cyprus bird, the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), were spotted in Akrotiri and additional reports of further individuals in the wider area have been coming in over the last days.
The Common Myna, a species native to southern Asia, is recognized as one of the “worst” invasive species globally, that is, it has very serious impacts on biological diversity and on agriculture and other human interests (http://www.iucngisd.org/.../speciesname/Acridotheres+tristis), and as such, it is on the EU list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (https://ec.europa.eu/.../nature/invasivealien/index_en.htm).
The species can severely negatively affect native biodiversity, including through competition with bird species, predation on nests, disruption to food webs and disease transmission. It is very territorial and aggressive. Introduced populations of the species exist around the Mediterranean, including in Israel, Turkey, Spain and Portugal, so the arrival of the Common Myna in Cyprus was not unexpected (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10530-019-01961-7).
Το 2000 η Επιτροπή Επιβίωσης Ειδών της IUCN το ανακήρυξε ένα από τα πιο χωροκατακτητικά είδη στον κόσμο και ένα από τα τρία μόνο πουλιά που περιλαμβάνονται στα «100 από τα χειρότερα χωροκατακτητικά είδη του κόσμου» που αποτελούν απειλή για τη βιοποικιλότητα, τη γεωργία και τα ανθρώπινα συμφέροντα. Είναι ένας ιπτάμενος αρουραίος

Видео Common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis) Μάινα - Limassol - Cyprus 17/2/2022 канала George konstantinou - Cyprus Wildlife tours