the alvord cutthroat trout , oncorhynchus clarki alvordensis , was a subspecies of cutthroat trout .

it was known only from trout creek in oregon and virgin creek in nevada , although it may have lived in several of the larger alvord basin streams during recent times .

it was native to spring-fed creeks that ran down to alvord dry lake in southeast oregon , which was a large lake during the ice ages and an isolated drainage , part of the great basin today .

this is one of the two cutthroat trout taxa considered extinct because all known populations are hybridized with rainbow trout which were introduced into streams in the alvord basin in the 1920s , resulting in cutbows .

the subspecies name was given in 2002 by robert behnke ( trout and salmon of north america ) .

in the fall 2005 issue of trout ( trout unlimited 's journal of coldwater fisheries conservation ) , in an article titled about trout : ivory-billed trout , dr. behnke notes a historical reference that the now " extinct " alvord cutthroat trout had been transplanted into another basin adjacent to the alvord basin , and that this transplant occurred prior to the 1928 introduction of rainbows into trout creek .

dr. behnke reflects on which stream these trout may have been introduced into .

in the winter 2007 issue of trout , in an article titled toward definitiveness , dr. behnke relates a summer 2006 electrofishing ( sampling ) project with the oregon department of fish and wildlife ( odfw ) .

he realized that the stream he ’d referenced in 2005 was above the maximum pleistocene lake level of any downstream flow-connected basins , and thus he doubts that redband trout ever made it to this elevated location .

in the late 1950s and through the 1960s the odfw had introduced lahontan cutthroat trout and rainbow trout into this stream , so dr. behnke expected to find a hybrid swarm during this sampling project .

yet , during this trip he was pleased to find that all of the trout examined seemed to be of the lahontan strain ; with some trout exhibiting the appearance ( phenotype ) of the " extinct " alvord cutthroat trout .

in a 2007 publication of the oregon chapter of the american fisheries society , entitled redband trout resilience and challenge in a changing landscape , dr. behnke comments that he believes there is a strong possibility that trout caught in this stream circa world war ii ( confirmed by local historian mr. bruce gilinski , who had direct experience on the stream just after world war ii ) were derived from the early transplant of the now extinct alvord cutthroat .

he thus surmises that what remains of the alvord subspecies is incorporated into the trout now found in this small stream adjacent to the alvord basin .

dr. behnke has urged the state of oregon to create a population of trout phenotypically representative of the " extinct " alvordensis by transplanting specimens that most closely resemble alvordensis into presently fishless waters , where they can self-propagate and preserve the phenotype ( if not genotype ) of the alvord cutthroat trout .

in april 2013 , shannon hurn , odfw fisheries biologist , hines district ( se oregon ) has released a 2013 management proposal ; which includes the plan to take spawning pairs of cutthroat trout that exhibit the phenotype of the extinct alvord cutthroat trout , to relocate these pairs to the klamath hatchery in oregon , and to propagate fry ( offspring ) from these pairs , to rear the trout at klamath hatchery , to look for uniformity among the sub-adult trout and to document the phenotype stages , and to ultimately transfer trout with the alvord ( alvordensis ) phenotype to a suitable fishless host stream in se oregon ( preferably in the alvord basin - the native realm of the extinct alvord cutthroat trout ) .

alvord cutthroat trout

the alvord cutthroat trout was considered extirpated by hybridization with rainbow trout that were introduced to its home waters of trout creek , oregon and virgin creek , nevada .
after catching so many lahontan cutthroat , this alvord was a very welcome change .
a fish matching the description of the alvord cutthroat from a small stream in southern oregon .
a map of the original native range of the alvord cutthroat trout . data source : behnke ( 2002 ) and trotter ( 2008 ) .
no doubt , we’ve been long overdue for reaching - out to the klamath hatchery to find out how the juvenile phenotypical alvord cutthroat trout have been doing .
in the native alvord cutthroat trout systems of trout creek , or and virgin creek , nv – it was such a few years after the introduction of rainbow trout that the majority of alvords of each system vanished from view as introgression destroyed their visible characteristics .
in the mid - 1980’s there was a flurry of excitement over a remnant of the alvord cutthroat trout found in virgin creek ( and even as late as the year 2000 it looked like a remnant still remained in virgin creek ) . yet , sadly , due to a number of factors , these trout were lost to history — and the alvord cutthroat trout generally became considered to be truly extinct .
after those rediscovered alvord cutthroat that were transplanted to the jackson mountains disappeared , everyone thought that they were truly extinct , but in 2005 , dr robert behnke wrote an article in trout magazine titled ivory - billed trout where he noted that there were records of alvord cutthroat being stocked into an unknown stream of a neighboring basin . this transplant took place in 1928 , prior to the introduction of rainbow trout into the alvord basin leaving open the possibility that another population might exist .
those who have frequently been on the system — assert that the ratio of the optimal alvord cutthroat trout phenotypes , in comparison to other cutt strains , seems to be on the decline .
ever since awareness of the alvord cutthroat trout , and the presence of a phenotypical act remnant in se oregon came to light ( eight + years ago now ) , a fair amount of thought has been applied regarding the origins and development of this cutthroat subspecies .
for months , i and those who have been inquiring regarding the state of the trout at fort klamath hatchery have been anticipating the news of a selected location for the release of the trout , and the implementation of the very last phase of this project—the actual release of phenotypical alvord cutthroat trout back into the wild .
the rediscovery of a population of alvord cutthroat has been long sought by native trout enthusiasts but few had any hope that any would be found . this is exciting news to many . native trout enthusiasts hope for the rediscovery of one other subspecies of cutthroat trout , the yellowfin cutthroat of twin lakes , colorado . these fish lived only in twin lakes alongside greenback cutthroat but they disappeared under similar circumstances when rainbow trout were introduced . there are reports of some of these fish being taken to europe for an exposition in paris but there are no records for where they might have been stocked .
alvord cutthroat were first described in 1934 by carl hubbs who traveled around the west with his family collecting trout . he preserved specimens in formalin and these are held by the university of michigan museum of zoology .
the species profile for oncorhynchus clarkii alvordensis ( alvord cutthroat trout ) is currently unavailable . it has recently undergone major revisions and is currently being reviewed for public distribution . please check back at a later date .
it seemed like each time the creek deepened out in this stretch , one of us would hook up with a fish . the nice thing too was after getting above the canyon stretch the ratio of alvord cutthroat to lahontan cutthroat had increased and although the largest fish were around 11
we all started getting a few of the alvord cutthroat that we came here for .
you can read more about the effort to establish a population of alvord cutthroat a the kortum of discovery blog that is dedicated to this subject and deserves some credit for keeping up pressure to find anew home for these special fish . truly good news we’ve all been hoping for , for many years | alvord cutthroat trout — phenotype remnant rescue | restoration précis .
the alvord cutthroat is a minor subspecies of the lahontan cutthroat , but has several traits that distinguish it from its relative . the coloration of alvord cutthroat tends more intense than that of the lahontan cutthroat and they are typical a brownish - olive color on the back and transitions to a yellow color on the sides of the fish . a rosy to red colored band is found along the lateral line and the same color is found on the gill plates . this coloration is especially pronounced in mature male fish . nine to eleven bluish - purple parr marks are found along the sides of smaller alvord cutthroat , but tend to fade away on larger fish over 10
. one of the main distinguishing factors between lahontan and alvord cutthroat the number of spots and where they are located . while lahontan cutthroat tend to be profusely spotted across their entire body , alvord cutthroat tend to be sparsely spotted . behnke ( 2002 ) states that alvord cutthroat typically have 25 - 50 moderate sized spots on the sides of their body above the lateral line . the coloration of the lower fins on these fish is generally a reddish purple color .
the alvord basin is a relatively small closed basin in southeast oregon that once contained a large lake where the cutthroat presumably fed on gila chub and attained large size . the trout would spawn in the inflowing streams .
however this is not where the story of the alvord cutthroat ends . in 2006 robert behnke made a trip into a small stream in southern oregon , which lies outside the native range of the alvord cutthroat to sample the trout living there . in the headwaters of the creek , he found fish that matched the description of the alvord cutthroat among a population of lahontan cutthroat . this creek has been stocked with both rainbow trout and lahontan cutthroat since the late 1950 ' s and while the rainbow trout don ' t appear to have survived the lahontans have taken a hold . even with the with these introductions some alvords have have remained in the creek and appear to have at least maintained their phenotypical integrity . in 2008 i descided to make the trip into this small stream to see for myself and sure enough i too found several trout that matched the description of the alvord cutthroat . i sent behnke several photos from my trip and he provided an explanation about how these fish would have gotten into the creek :
even with some hopeful success regarding the plight and the effort to rescue a remnant of phenotypical alvord cutthroat trout in se oregon ( such as hopeful survival of up - to eighty phenotypes at se oregon’s fort klamath hatchery ) — yet the subject regarding how to finally perpetually save a remnant of trout bearing alvord ct characteristics is one of increasing complexity and difficulty .
most of these subspecies evolved without the presence of rainbow trout and , with the exception of coastal cutthroat and portions of the westslope cutthroat population , they readily hybridize with the more aggressive , and introduced rainbows . many of the inland subspecies of cutthroat have seen drastic reductions in range due to introduction of rainbows and other trout like brook , or brown trout . water quality issues or diversions have also caused reductions in cutthroat populations and those populations that survive are often only found in small headwater streams or lakes . because of this , several cutthroat species are protected under the endangered species act .
though we are currently still without the ultimate identifiers that would tell the story of the alvord cutthroat trout and their history , we are not entirely without clues and genetic facts that should give us pause for thought , and some clear understanding , where the trout from guano creek are concerned .
many years ago we’d been to the headwaters of trout creek ( the native home in oregon of the “extinct” alvord cutthroat trout ) , and we’d been to other systems in the trout creek mountains and the pueblo mountains of se oregon , in the hope that “alvordensis” were still extant—somewhere . thus dr . behnke’s article was interesting , and heartening , to us .
since spring of 2008 , many journeys have focused on these unique trout found in this small stream some 40 miles from the known home of the alvord cutthroat trout . so , the current summary of this site is dedicated to the unique and beautiful trout found in this remote se oregon desert . perhaps there are more questions generated than there are answers found .
we all know that risk is involved in an effort to propagate a completely wild strain of cutthroat trout into a population that could be utilized to restore a phenotypical representation of an extinct strain of trout . yet positive reports from the former odfw fish biologist for se oregon , and encouraging remarks from personnel at the hatchery , indicated that everything was on track to be a “miracle” of the 21st century where the alvord cutthroat trout was concerned .
the next summer dr . behnke and oregon department of fish and wildlife sampled a stream in hart mountain national antelope refuge where they found what appeared to be alvord cutthroat . the biggest problem was that the oregon department of fish and wildlife had been stocking the stream with closely related lahontan cutthroat trout and redband rainbow trout for many years which might be hybridizing with the fish .
the alvord cutthroat has been declared extinct for most of the past century , however in one small creek in southern oregon there is still a remnant of these fish left . although it is unclear how genetically pure the fish in this creek are , some are phenotypically correct representations of the alvord cutthroat trout and this may be the last chance to save these fish from extinction . the problem is that closely related lahontan cutthroat have also been stocked in the creek and the greatly out number the alvord type fish and seem to be slowly but surely replacing the alvord type fish . for more information of these fish , please visit
this is another opportunity to voice your support of an improvement effort . this time it is for the
extinct
alvord cutthroat . my friend gary marston of
the
official
status of the alvord cutthroat is that it is extinct in its pure form . however this may not be the actual truth with these fish , but in any case their continued existence is quite precarious . the question is how did they get into this situation ? the simple answer is the rainbow trout . although habitat degradation likely played a minor part in the demise of these fish , they proved extremely susceptible to hybridization with rainbow trout . when the alvord cutthroat was first described by hubbs in 1934 , hybridization was already quickly spreading through trout creek from a 1929 stocking of rainbow trout . in 1933 rainbow trout were also stocked into virgin creek and within a few years pure cutthroat could no longer be found in either creek . for fifty years the alvord cutthroat was considered to be extinct until in the 1980 ' s when nevada fish and wildlife crews turned up several cutthroat in a canyon section above a rock slide on virgin creek . however when a native trout hunter robert smith visited the creek he primarily found rainbow trout and hybrids , although he did catch their large fish that accurately matched the alvord cutthroat description , including one that was close to 20
long and 7 years old . it is thought that the cutthroat remained isolated in this section of the creek until alkali reservoir which had been stocked with rainbow trout overflowed during a high water year . in 1986 several of the most pure looking alvord cutthroat were taken from the creek to be transplant into the nearby fishless jackson creek . however according to bartley and gall ( 1991 ) genetic anaylsis of these fish showed them to be partially hybridized . no matter the genetic integrity the fish that were placed in jackson creek , none of them were never seen again and the alvord cutthroat once again fell into extinction .
looks like an great trip . i love catching small native trout they are beautiful . check out some of my trout art at urltoken i might be interested in painting some of your rare oregon native trout . phil
the alvord cutthroat trout is one of the two subspecies of cutthroat that have been officially declared extinct . these fish were once found in two small streams , trout and virgin creek , which drain to the arid alvord basin of oregon and nevada . however both of these populations fell victim to poor stocking practices and the introduction of rainbow trout . a small population of these fish was
re - discovered
in the headwaters of virgin creek , nevada , but these fish were already on their way out due to another invasion by rainbow trout and too little was done too late to save them . however once again there is the question of if the alvord is really gone or not and from the way things are looking , these trout may still swim in one small stream in southeastern oregon .
alvord cutthroat trout were a subspecies of cutthroat trout native to the alvord basin of southeast oregon that many believe went extinct in their pure form shortly after they were described . at the time they were discovered in the 1930’s , they were already on their way out due to hybridization with introduced rainbow trout . in the 1980’s a few slightly hybridized fish were found in virgin creek of northern nevada and they were subsequently moved to a barren stream in the jackson mountains of nevada so that they could escape further hybridization but these fish didn’t survive and were never seen again .
creating sustainable habitat for the alvord phenotypes ( riparian zone work , doubtless , should be a priority for streams that could , with help , sustain trout ) .
yet , in 2006 dr . robert behnke and odfw personnel identified a remnant of phenotypical alvord cutthroat trout in an isolated remote se oregon stream . in a 2007 trout magazine article dr . behnke published the story about the finding of these phenotypical alvordensis ; and his thoughts / recommendation as to how it might be possible to preserve this remnant .
indeed , on more than one occasion , it would seem that we’ve caught lahontan , humboldt , alvord , yellowstone , bonneville and paiute cutthroat trout ( perhaps also with rainbow or redband thrown in ) all in the same day—in a stream small enough to simply step across .
and so , why would anyone think it unusual for native trout enthusiasts to become “arm chair biologists” by putting their heads together to review , discuss and contemplate game plans for alvord trout phenotype preservation in the next year . . . and for years to come ?
we realize that these are , at least in part , outward genetic expressions of cutthroat trout that in actuality are from the same basic genus and species . yet the unique trout diversity expressed in this tiny stream is truly among the most remarkable to be found anywhere !
to try to save the remaining phenotypic alvord cutthroat from further hybridization , the oregon department of fish and wildlife has devised a plan to capture some specimens and raise their progeny in a hatchery where they will be measured and observed to determine whether they exhibit the phenotypic features of known alvord cutthroat specimens . once this is determined they will be stocked into a barren stream on the sheldon national wildlife refuge in nevada .
this is similar to what i found in 2006 during an electrofishing survey of * * * * * * * crk . lahontan cutthroats and rainbow trout were stocked into * * * * * * * crk . for many years beginning in 1957 . ore . historian bruce gilinski told me that , as a young boy , he caught trout in * * * * * * crk . right after wwii ( ca . 1946 ) , so trout were there before the first recorded stocking . an illustration of an alvord cutthroat from trout crk . appears on p . 221 of my 2002 book , trout and salmon of north america , with further info on this fish on p . 224 ( artist ' s note ) . i found many trout in * * * * * * * crk . that strongly resembled the alvord trout ( lahontan cutthroats are heavily spotted ) . most likely scenario for a transplant of trout from trout crk . into * * * * * * * is found in hubbs and miller ; 1948 publ . on fishes of the great basin . they mentioned that they were told that a transplant was made from trout crk . into the catlow basin . the * * * * * * basin was probably considered as part of the catlow basin by local people but is at a higher elevation and isolated from the redband trout native to streams in the catlow basin . thus , if a transplant from trout crk . was made , it should have been into * * * * * * crk . , which had no native trout . r . behnke
years ago , as an outreach of our natural enthusiasm for fishing small remote trout streams , we began to realize that we’d been catching rare and endangered trout . it truly “tripped our trigger” to realize that though these trout were small , we were catching ( and releasing ) beautiful rare trout of unique genetics and stunning appearance — beauty that few of us might ever behold first hand in our lifetime !
unfortunately , since very few preserved specimens exist from the original population , and because they were preserved in formalin which can break down dna , there really isn’t a genetic baseline to compare this newly rediscovered population to , making it unlikely that we will ever really know for sure whether these are pure , or hybridized alvord cutthroat . the only way to measure these fish for comparison to other cutthroat or other trout is to look at phenotypic characteristics such as spotting pattern , number of scales along the lateral line , pyloric caeca , or the number of gill rakers . these features vary between the subspecies and if the counts lie within a certain range then it can be reasonably presumed that the fish are mostly pure alvord cutthroat .
little has changed in the five years since 2006 , except that remaining alvord phenotypes may still be on the decline . last summer , when sampling the creek—with shannon , her field assistant , trout unlimited personnel , an osu fisheries professor and patrick trotter ; eleven of fifty - five trout were logged as alvord phenotypes ( for a 20 % or 1 : 5 ratio ) . in reality , that number was exceptionally high . the real number of respectable alvord phenotypes is almost certainly a notably lower percentage , and the more time that goes on , the more likely it is that there will be greater difficulty in securing meaningful phenotypes for preservation of alvord characteristics for future generations to experience and appreciate .
dan told me that he had seen a fish in the next pool upstream , so i went to check it out and was rewarded with another fish on my dropper . this one ended up being a sterotypical alvord cutthroat and was absolutely beautiful .
shannon hurn and an odfw team are working on a plan for preservation of alvord phenotypes from * * * * * creek . a project is underway . . . odfw has been on the system this spring , looking to identify suitable phenotypical alvord cutthroat trout specimens for transportation to the klamath hatchery facility ( most likely , three spawning pairs for the facility ) . there may be opportunity for native trout enthusiasts to contribute , going forward , as odfw seeks to identify optimal stream habitat to establish a phenotypical remnant of alvordensis in se oregon . more information may be found at : urltoken
i feel one of the biggest problems facing all cutthroat is the tendency to misidentify them . angler awareness needs to be boosted .
© 2008 - 2011 native trout fly fishing . all rights reserved last updated june 22 , 2011 9 : 54 pm
this blog is all about fly fishing for native trout . on it i cover trip reports , fishing tactics , conservation , the latest news about native trout species and much more . this site provides a companion to my web page urltoken . gary
not much is known about the life history of alvord cutthroat , as no formal studies were made before they went extinct in their native waters . from what can be inferred from data collected prior to their extinction and the habitat in which they were found , all native populations of this trout occurred as a stream resident form . like other cutthroat alvords are spring spawning fish and are thought to have a similar life history to stream dwelling cutthroat in the lahontan basin . it is thought that aquatic and terrestrial insects make up the vast majority of the alvord cutthroat ' s diet . the original collections of alvord cutthroat made in virgin creek by carl hubbs in 1934 showed that the fish had an average size of 4
to 7
, however some of the fish that were caught in deeper pools during the 1980 ' s measured almost 20
long ( behnke 2002 ) . this would be an incredible size in any stream , but this part of virgin creek is only three feet across in most places . the maximum lifespan of these is thought to be about seven years of age . i found the fish in the southern oregon population to display a similar pattern with most being 6
to 8
although one extraordinary fish that i caught in 2008 measured fifteen inches .
i returned to the creek in 2009 and while i caught several alvord cutthroat , i was disappointed to see that my catch of lahontan cutthroat had gone up considerably . while this might have been a fluke or in part due to the fact that i also fished lower down than in 2008 , it may be a very bad sign for the alvord cutthroat . these fish have already been pushed back to the utmost headwaters of the creek and likely only number in the hundreds . as of right now i am not aware of any plans to make a transplant of these fish to another drainage to assure their existence . due to several reliable reports on of excess in fishing pressure on this stream and fragile nature of this population i have decided not to mention its name here .
for decades now , genetic science has continuously been breaking new ground regarding the ability to identify specific trout species and their ancestral lineages .
perhaps , in due course , some of these methodologies and technologies may also become useful for other researchers , conservationists and native trout enthusiasts alike .
a number of “challenges” attempt to inhibit odfw se oregon fish biologists—at least where the alvords are concerned . they have a lot on their plate , and much of it essentially mandated . at this point , the alvordensis phenotype consideration is completely volitional . the remaining known streams in the alvord basin that can support trout have had willow / whitehorse cutthroat trout translocated to them . other streams might be “salvageable” if riparian zone work was accomplished , and perhaps beaver reintroduced into those streams . there also seems to be an expectation that they cannot get funding for a project without genetic “proof” that these are alvordensis . of course , this inevitably leads to the complications dr . behnke predicted . like many native trout enthusiasts , we hope that action will be accomplished before it is too late…
this post has been a long time in coming , but here it is at last . shortly after my outing for the elusive and supposedly extinct alvord cutthroat trout last year ( click here for details ) , scott of the cutthroat stalker blog and his friend dan had contacted me about making the trip back to hart mountain to look for some more alvords during the summer of 2009 . initially i wasn ' t sure i would be able to pull it off , but finally found a week in early july that worked for both of us and we made plans to meet up for some fishing . as part of this trip , we had also decided to take data on the number of alvord vs . lahontan cutthroat that we caught , photograph each fish and take measurements , to send to robert behnke . as of right now nothing what soever is being done to protect these fish or begin to restore them to their native habitat and with any luck this data will help to get the ball rolling soon .
i fished this small creek on august 1 , 2010 and did not land one of these phenotypical alvords but my partner did . all i caught were the introduced lahontan cutthroat .
sometimes it is so difficult to write a post about alvord phenotypes . . . especially when the most recent news does not seem to be particularly encouraging , uplifting , edifying . . .
if it weren ' t for the mosquitoes the fish would have been a lot more enjoyable , as even though the trout weren ' t overly large there were lots of them and the eagerly rose to dry flies . these redbands are also some of the more acrobatic fish that i had ever come across and once hooked seemingly spent more time out of the water than in it . we worked upstream catching trout after trout , but just about all of the them were only in the 6
to 8
range .
plus , an expression of urgency : over 10 % of the total time that hybridization has been in process ( since the introduction of other trout strains ) has passed since se oregon fisheries biologists were apprised of this situation by dr . robert j . behnke in 2006 . fifty - five years ago , the first of known nonnative trout began to be introduced into this stream by odfw .
that they were still manifesting ( through hybridization with other trout strains that odfw had been introducing into this small stream ) . dr . behnke suggested taking the best phenotypes for transplant into a suitable ,
there are 13 recognized subspecies of cutthroat trout that evolved in distinct basins of western north america . some of the subspecies evolved in large closed basins like the bonneville basin that once contained ancient lake bonneville or the lahontan basin of nevada that once contained ancient lake lahontan . both of these were essentially inland seas where the fish grew large and preyed on other fish species . others evolved in riverine environments where they preyed primarily on insects .
please submit letters of support for an alvord phenotype rescue and restoration project to : shannon hurn , odfw district office , 237 highway 20 south / po box 8 , hines , or 97738 or via email to shannon . m . hurn @ urltoken
after the ice age , many of the large inland seas receded and the cutthroat in these great basin sub - basins were relegated to small streams with harsh environments . some of these these fish can survive temperatures that can reach 80 degrees during the day .
thus the quest was born . the quest to catch , and release , at least one new species of trout each year — and document the unique surroundings and habitat that each of these precious gems inhabit . ultimately , we’d like to share the unique charm and perfect nature that each of these species present . we’d like to share the grandeur and distinctive abilities of each of these wonders with you ; our fellow nature lovers and native trout enthusiasts everywhere .
i fished until the sun fell below the horizon and only called it quits when i could no longer see my fly . shortly after getting back scott and dan arrived and we made plans to do a little redband fishing before heading over to the alvord stream .
so often the information shared among native trout enthusiasts , and discussions emanating from those shared realizations , has resulted in positive suggestions – or strategies – for the preservation of a given species , or strain , or for habitat improvement and preservation .
letters of support for an alvord phenotype rescue | restoration project may be sent to : shannon hurn , odfw district office , 237 highway 20 south / po box 8 , hines , or 97738 here’s an example of a letter of support that may provide a framework for assistance .
cutthroat trout were able to occupy many of the inland sub - basins through a process known as headwater transfer where a stream changes course to flow from one drainage to another . this could happen if a stream flowing off of a mountain side onto an alluvial fan changes course or if a landslide blocks the flow causing it to flow into a neighboring drainage . there is an example of this phenomena just south of yellowstone national park where two ocean creek splits and turns into pacific creek and atlantic creek . pacific creek flows into the snake river while atlantic creek flows into the yellowstone river .
the higher up the creek that we moved the tighter conditions got and holding water began to be spaced out much further . to complicate matters , the creek in this section meandered through stretches of six foot tall grass and small groves of willows that made casting or even getting a fly in the water all but impossible . the few pockets that were free of obstructions though continued to produce fish , including my only fish on a dry for the day , which ended up being an 8
alvord cutthroat . before long we reached the upper end of the fishable section of the creek and it was time to move on .
writing a positive and encouraging letter of support to shannon would be a good thing . we believe that as well as being a tool she can utilize in requesting grant funding from the western native trout initiative , etc ; she also could use positive encouragement herself in this regard .
i have been following the alvord phenotype discussion since the nevada f & g dept . tried to move the alvord phenotypes ( ap ) from virgin ck . to jackson ck . if the nevada g & f had left the alvord phenotypes in virgin ck . and made the larger effort to remove the non - ap , i believe the project would have had more success based on hindsight . because i am not aware of any on - stream action taking place to save the ap in g - - - - ck . , it seems to me that a bare minimum plan of action would be to mechanically remove the non - ap by angling . this would buy time until government folks have an action plan in place if ever because the ap is not a pure species . if the take
no action
is the government plan then i would feel much better that mechanical removal was being used by anglers which would help reduce further degradation of the remaining ap . i really like the ap website of dave kortum . joe d
while the trout themselves yield a matchless beauty , it’s also true that the rugged expanse of the desert and mountains , valleys and streams of the american western basin and range also hold incomparable splendor and majesty ; with an abundance of desert wildflowers and rare wildlife , and with ecosystems of origins and interconnectedness that science has yet to fully understand .
thank you for joining us on this uncharted journey and adventure of discovery : the pursuit to truly identify , separate , secure , and hopefully restore , the alvord phenotype ( if not also the genotype ) to suitable streams in their remote northern great basin habitat — that they may successfully self - sustain and flourish ; that future generations may also be privileged to fully appreciate their distinct beauty and adaptation to this remote desert environment .
more specifically , we hope to be able to share with you the plight of an ‘extinct’ trout that is really not quite extinct . perhaps , if enough people become aware ; and if individuals , states , organizations and agencies care enough to take action —a difference can be made for these rare , precious , survivors of the desert—that against all odds still exert their presence here !
we probably ended up covering about a mile of the creek and i guess that we caught about 10 to 15 redbands a piece with the average size going 5
- 7
and a few fish up to 10
thrown in here and there . at about 8 : 30 or 9 : 00 am we headed back to camp to grab some breakfast before heading out across the desert to fish for some of the rarest trout in the world .
the drive across the desert to the blitzen was fairly uneventful , with a fair few antelope sightings along the way . when we got there we grabbed a campsite near the river , rigged up our rods and hit the water . the first thing that i should mention about this place is that the alvord stream may as well have been a mosquito free zone in comparison . the second that we got on the water hordes of mosquitos descended on us and even the 100 % deet couldn ' t keep them at bay .
as you may know ; dr . behnke has already pretty well spelled - out reality : “the best advice i can give i borrow from peter larkin’s keynote address to afs many years ago : “simplify , simplify , simplify” . the goal is to create a population of trout phenotypically representative of the extinct alvordensis by selecting specimens from guano creek that most closely resemble alvordensis . these would be transplanted into presently fishless waters . if all of the proposed actions , especially “genetic testing” , were attempted to be carried out with all of the associated planning and funding , i doubt the goal will ever be attained . it’s human nature to put off until tomorrow what could and should be done today . accept that guano creek trout are not pure , but retain the hereditary basis to phenotypically duplicate alvordensis . what can more and more genetic analysis tell us except that the present population is most likely the product of more than one parental population ? ”
: i got up with the sun in the morning and as scott and dan didn ' t appear to be up yet i decided to head up the creek to check things out and wait for a little bit more of a reasonable hour to bother them . the creek was a bit smaller upstream and the pockets were a little more spread out , but i did manage to get a few more trout before returning to camp and heading out to fish some more with dan and scott .
seeing how well the zug bug had worked for me in this pool i decided to leave it on for a bit and head back upstream . this fly seemed to really work well in most of the deep holes . this include the road crossing pool where i hooked two fish and landed one of them . i continued upstream to a small canyon stretch where i had stopped fishing last , catching another six fish along the way , altough all of them werelahontan cutthroat . once i reached this stretch the stream size shrunk a bit and i switched back to my previous dry dropper system .
originally it was just going to be my dad and i heading down for this trip , but shortly before the trip a slight complication arose as my sister whom had to travel to the same area for business proposes decided to join us . she seemed fine with the plans that i had set out and as such i decided to roll with it . as scott and dan were coming from utah and hadn ' t been to this area , we made plans to meet at a campground on monday even not far from the creek before embarking on our alvord adventure on tuesday .
there’s a fair amount of “mystery” involved in this situation—and some have interpreted this into skepticism . the “true believers” tend to be those that have spent some time on the stream and have experienced the trout first hand—with an observant perspective of inquiry : “what is this ? ” and “where did it come from ? ” common sense would lead one to comprehend that there are a finite number of explanations—and what dr . behnke has put forward indeed is the most likely explanation . of course ; none of us would have any traction without the authority and statements published by dr . behnke…
once again even armed with bug spray the mosquitoes were ravenous , so even though the weather was hot i threw on a hooded sweatshirt on to combat the bugs and got on the water . as with the day before , i started out with a dry and dropper and was getting smallish trout on just about every cast . when i reached the spot where scott had hooked his big fish the night before , i made a cast and sure enough the fish was still there . however just as with scott this fish spit my fly after only a few seconds and it was back to casting for small trout again . i hiked upstream a little ways to where i found a couple of deeper pools and decided to switch tactics up a bit and switch back to the jumbo john again . i fished this fly on the swing and in the first pool i managed a nice trout at about 10
, which was an improvement from the average size that i had been seeing on the dry and dropper . the next pool upstream was fairly broad and deep with drop off into the far bank . i made my way up to the head of the pool and had a strike on my first cast but didn ' t hook up . after a few more casts at about the middle of the pool a fish slam my fly as it neared the middle of its swing and i was fast into a nice sized redband . unlike the spot that i had hooked my big fish the night before this pool was relatively free of obstructions , so while the fish fought valiantly on my 2wt i was able to work him into my net . while there are undoubtedly larger fish in this drainage this 13
redband seemed like a giant in comparison to the six inchers that i had been catching so i decided to head back to call it quits and head back to the campground for lunch .
we finished setting up camp at right around dinner time and after passing by so many great little redband streams , i decided that it was now time to do a little fishing and made my way to the nearest creek . the one thing that i will say about this stream is that it didn ' t take long to know that there were fish in it as my first cast with the royal pmx and black copper john dropper produced a beautiful little redband . from that point on fishing pretty much continued to be fast and furious and it was just a matter of seeking out pockets large enough to hold a trout or two .
: my original plan for this day was to meet up with my dad and sister and head to the whitehorse basin to fish for some cutthroat . i told scott and dan and to go ahead and make their way over to whitehorse and as long as everything went to plan i would meet them there . everything did not go as planned though . while i had very clearly marked a map with directions how to get to the blitzen river , apparently my dad and sister thought that they could find there way there without its help . unfortunately they ended up taking the wrong road and didn ' t discover their mistake for some time , leaving me stranded at the mosquito infested blitzen river . when i got the call telling me how late they were going to arriving , i had a choice between being eaten alive by mosquitoes in the campground or on the river . of course i chose the river .
ken cole , buffalo field campaign ' s executive director , is a 5th generation idahoan , an avid fly fisherman , wildlife enthusiast , and photographer . he was formerly the idaho director for western watersheds project .
that is correct ken . they are a fun but windy place to fish .
i am always glad to hear a species has a chance . but much like the real greenback , careful planning and major efforts must be made .
twin lakes is about 9 , 200 ft elevation , just below tree line for that latitude . the larger lake to east is a reservoir with an earthen dam , providing water storage from diversions from the roaring fork ( actually a tributary called the frying pan river , if i recall correctly . twin lakes is part of a bureau of reclamation water projtect called the frying pan arkansas project .
footnote . they move water all around in co . the continental divide and other ranges are just excuses to build tunnels thru rock to convey water to where it flows toward money ( not gravity ) .
colorado’s water rights policies are extremely complex . although it is far from the only state with issues , it has more to lose than most due to it’s strong sportsmen generated revenues .
water rights are not an excuse to drill through rock as much as they are an outdated was that greed has manipulated the environment .
quite frankly , unless you can create rain on your land , you should not get to claim ownership of it . it is a public resource , and should be dealt with as such .
it is mandated that in order to retain rights , the water must be used . so many water rights owners will irrigate land they don’t even farm , or lease out their water , to hang onto the rights which are worth massive amounts of money .
soon , these things will have to be dealt with , for fish , and for humans . policy will need to cease the practices of trying to manage price floors and ceilings , stop paying farmers not to farm etc . after all , we boast free enterprise , and use the term to over turn wildlife and environmental policies galore . yet , our government controls prices… . oxymoron and hypocritical behavior all wrapped up into one environmentally dangerous situation .
if i had the money i’d like to do a full genome sequence of all of the cutt subspecies and figure out just how many differences there are among these strains . given the current funding climate for stuff like that , though , fat chance . nsf , call me…… .
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at some point we must draw a line across the ground of our home and our being , drive a spear into the land and say to the bulldozers , earthmovers , government and corporations , “thus far and no further . ” if we do not , we shall later feel , instead of pride , the regret of thoreau , that good but overly - bookish man , who wrote , near the end of his life , “if i repent of anything it is likely to be my good behaviour .
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plans - of - action ( business plans ) are often the result of thoughtful deliberation by a group of individuals ; a board , or executive committee , or a team that is dedicated to thinking things through in a comprehensive and sound manner .
for most of us in our work - a - day world , there are guidelines — plans of action that we are required to fulfill as a vital part of our employment or our livelihood .
inevitably , there would be consequences — in terms of business costs or drawbacks that would adversely affect a given project’s outcomes — if plans are not followed through .
realistically , with horrible drought conditions affecting california and nearby states – this “rescue” seemed to be poised to take place just in the nick of time .
of course , this is the time of the year that many folks start thinking about resolutions for the new year ; and arm chair quarterbacks are found talking about strategic game plans that their favorite teams should put in place for upcoming bowl games .
more often than not , rain is not something oregonians rejoice to see . . . but the onslaught of storms bringing rain to the west coast are a welcome sight , especially since some of that moisture is beginning to make its way to southeast oregon and * * * * * creek . any amount of rain is a welcome relief to this drought affected region .
reflecting on the photos of our recently stressed high desert streams , such as * * * * * creek , several concerning questions seem to be worth pondering . . .
and , long overdue for touching base with the odfw hines district office of regarding their search for , and securing of , the new fish biologist for se oregon .


the javan myna ( acridotheres javanicus ) , also known as the white-vented myna , is a species of myna .

it is a member of the starling family .

javan myna

due to its high degree of adaptability the javan myna is not considered under threat .
mazpram play along with javan myna ( acridotheres javanicus ) were very docile at . . .
javan myna courtship activities include fighting and fencing , as well as bowing courtship displays with vocalizations .
most recently , wells ( 2009 ) considered the allopatric pale - bellied myna to be a distinct species from the javan myna , but predicted that natural experiments created by the northbound invasion front of javan mynas encroaching into jungle myna territory in peninsular malaysia would eventually show jungle mynas and javan mynas constitute one biological species .
like other acridotheres mynas , the javan myna ( a . javanicus ) has a varied and strident voice .
while cabanis presumably designated the javan myna as a species of its own based on morphology , various authors have disagreed over time . amadon ( 1956 ) regarded the pale - bellied myna ( a . cinereus ) , the jungle myna ( a . fuscus ) and the javan myna as conspecific under a . fuscus
australian museum , 2003 . common myna acridotheres tristis . common myna acridotheres tristis . urltoken
however , inskipp et al . ( 1996 ) considered the javan myna , pale - bellied myna , and great myna ( a . grandis ) to be more similar morphologically to each other than to the jungle myna , and considered them conspecific .
, while sibley and monroe ( 1990 ) awarded the javan myna full species status on the basis of markedly different features from the jungle myna , especially regarding bill colouration .
mazpram play along with javan myna ( acridotheres javanicus ) were very docile at home on april 13 , 2016 in bintan island , indonesia . javan myna ( acridotheres javanicus ) named kulup aged 3 months old , was nurtured by mazpram since . . .
the genus acridotheres comprises nine other species ( feare and craig , 1998 ) : the great myna a . grandis , crested myna a . cristatellus , white - vented myna a . javanicus , pale - bellied myna a . cinereus , jungle myna a . fuscus , collared myna a . albocinctus , bank myna a . ginginianus , vinous - breasted myna a . burmannicus and the black - winged myna a . melanopterus .
fig . 10 . javan myna perched on dustbin lid in an open air food centre . javan mynas commonly exploit ephemeral food sources such as food clearing centres in such establishments . ( photo by gabriel low )
northland regional council , 2008 . myna . myna . , new zealand : northland regional council . urltoken
the javan myna was introduced to singapore in 1924 , and its population has since burgeoned to an estimated 122 , 000 individuals in 2003 .
indeed , whereas jungle mynas had been living side by side in kuala lumpur with great mynas for almost 20 years without hybridizing , the subsequent introduction of javan mynas caused a sharp decline in the jungle myna population leading to its local extinction by 2002 , all without affecting the great myna population adversely . in the process , suspected jungle - javan myna hybrids / intergrades were observed at hither - to well known sites for jungle mynas , likely symptoms of the jungle myna population being swamped out genetically by the invading javan myna .
tidemann , c . 2007c . common indian myna website > myna problems . the australian national university . urltoken
fig . 13 . javan mynas perched on a rooftop . the javan myna is now one of the most human - tolerant birds in south - east asia , and increasingly posing more of a pest problem . ( photo by gabriel low )
this entry was posted in archive , asia , indonesian cagebird trade and tagged cagebird trade , indonesia , java , javan myna . bookmark the permalink .
the javan myna has an extremely liquid voice and incorporates imitation into its repertoire . vocalizations are used for courtship , communication during foraging and warning calls .
feare and craig ( 1999 ) awarded full specific status to the javan myna in agreement with sibley and monroe ( 1990 ) , and additionally considered the pale - bellied myna as a full species as well .
“another video clip , taken on 1st april 2013 , showing the begging behaviour of the juvenile javan myna , including begging calls , can be viewed above .
the javan myna has an extremely liquid voice and , like the european starling , incorporates imitation into its repertoire ( though it is not able to imitate the human voice , like the hill myna gracula religiosa ) .
even though javan myna is a successful species in urban city , the increasing population size posts threat to native bird species in terms of competition . large population of myna would also cause damage to agricultural crops and spread agricultural weeds ( lim et al . , 2003 ) . if this condition is not well managed , the javan myna might become a pest to human community .
adult javan myna can be generally identified by the features given in table 1 . distinctive characteristics for field identification are depicted in the two figures below as well .
“on may 25 i captured these images of a pair of javan munia ( lonchura leucogastroides ) . . .
indeed , it was the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) that was the dominant myna species in singapore for a long time . however , with increasing urbanization , hails found in 1985 that javan mynas outnumbered common mynas by 2 . 7 times
fig . 14 . screenshot of the original description of the javan myna published in museum heineanum , vol . 1 . ( source : google book search ) ( public domain )
description : a bird that genuinely needs no introduction , the javan myna is by far the most common bird on campus and is indeed the most abundant bird in singapore . an introduced species , the javan myna is mostly coloured a uniform black with slightly darker primaries and secondaries with a bright yellow beak and legs as well as white patches on its wings and undertail vents . the javan myna is a highly gregarious bird that forms huge flocks , especially in the evenings , and is thus capable of making incredible amounts of noise .
hardworking , gutsy , and the can - do spirit have made the javan myna probably the most common bird in singapore . in contrast the common mynas are hardly seen nowadays .
javan mynahs are urban creatures . they are only going to move to another housing estate and irritate people there .
xeno - canto foundation , 2014 . javan myna , acridotheres javanicus , cabanis 1851 . hosted on xeno - canto . org . url : urltoken . accessed on 11 november 2014 .
the javan myna breeding cycle can be split into three phases : ( 1 ) courtship and pair bonding , ( 2 ) nesting and incubation , and ( 3 ) post - fledging care phases .
the javan myna ( a . javanicus ) was originally described by jean cabanis in 1851 in museum heineanum : verzeichniss der ornithologischen sammlung des oberamtmann ferdinand heine 1 : 205 ( fig . 14 ) .
using radio - tagging , javan mynas have been shown to move an average of 1 . 6km between feeding spaces and roosts .
genbank has barcode sequences available for several genes including coi , coii , nd2 and fib5 . sequencing of the full javan myna genome is underway and should be completed by first quarter 2015 ( personal communication ) .
javan mynas roost in large communal flocks in trees ( fig . 9 ) , which can involve hundreds or even thousands of individuals .
with the johor straits being 600m at its narrowest , javan myna invasion of the malay peninsula mainland would have inevitably involved establishment of such commuters on the johor side of the straits , and their subsequent northward spread .
tidemann , c . 2005 . common myna . the australian national university . urltoken
. english : lady with the myna bird golconda , deccan school , c . 1605 a . d . 1605 . deccan school 789 lady with the myna bird
javan mynas nest sites include palm fruit clusters amid palm crowns and holes in tall trees , buildings , bridges , and other manmade structures .
) . most of the common myna’s indigenous range lies within the tropics and subtropics .
i do not have that many pictures of the jungle mynas , perhaps there is no need to show them as they look so much alike the javan myna . in its place this series of 3 pictures is my best effort in trying to bring out the current situation with the existence of jungle myna in malaysia .
javan myna is naturally found only on java and bali , but has established introduced populations in taiwan , singapore , thailand , sumatra , lesser sundas and puerto rico and may be established in japan ( craig and feare 2016 ) .
such pranks are the work of their cousins , the javan mynahs , which are thought to have been introduced here as pets in the 1920s .
the javan myna is highly adaptable and is hugely successful in a range of habitats , from cities and urban centres to palm plantations , parklands and rice fields . in rural areas they prey on insects disturbed by water buffalo and can often be seen riding buffalos similar to an oxpecker , resulting in the name buffalo myna .
besides feeding on insects and fruits , the javan mynas can feed on human food . these birds are frequent dwellers of rubbish dumps and often found walking around open air hawker centre or canteen searching for leftover food . the population of javan myna grows and spread quickly in urban city especially in residential zone which has abundant supply of human food residue ( yap et . al , 2002 ) .
the indian myna is not a prohibited or restricted invasive animal under the biosecurity act 2014 .
thomas , a . 2004 . myna fightback , in scribbly gum , abc . 2005 .
fig . 1 . a pair of adult javan mynas ( acridotheres javanicus ) . ( creative commons license : cc by - nd 2 . 0 de )
additionally , thousands of javan mynas have been observed commuting at dawn over the johor straits to foraging areas in mainland johor , possibly beyond johor bahru town .
if we are to live in harmony with the javan mynah , by the laws of nature , it may well mean having to eat them some day .
in this region , javan mynas are definitely not species that you can easily approach and it is in fact surprising for this one to be so friendly and allowed hand feeding , a lot of trust must had been built between kc and the myna .
the most likely species the common myna could be confused with are other members of the genus acridotheres , most of which are blackish with white wing patches . in hong kong the common myna lives alongside the native crested myna a . cristatellus , but the crested myna is almost entirely black with a very prominent tuft of feathers on the forehead and an ivory - white bill .
on several polynesian islands both the common myna and the jungle myna have become established . the plumage of the jungle myna is dark grey but paler below , its bill is more orange with a bluish base to the lower mandible , and it lacks the yellow peri - orbital skin of the common myna , but has a conspicuous yellow eye and a tuft of forehead feathers .
javan mynas are social throughout the year and frequently occur in pairs , which are in turn nested within larger groups , especially when food is abundant or ephemeral .
fig . 11 . distribution of the javan myna ( acridotheres javanicus ) across south - east asia . grey circles denote non - captive song recording locations ( see section on vocalizations ) . range data originally sourced from birdlife international and natureserve ( 2011 ) .
historically , the javan myna has been kept in captivity in malaysia and indonesia , but thanks to its gregarious , bold nature and its penchant for exploiting human refuse as a food source , its range and abundance has grown dramatically . the javan myna is now considered a pest by many people . the main cause for concern to most people is their tendency to roost in large communal flocks in close proximity to human - inhabited areas , where their noise and droppings are often complained about ( fig . 13 ) .
the javan myna is predominantly black , with a white vent , a white wing patch , white on the underside of the tail , and has a thick yellow eye ring , legs and beak . it sometimes has grey / white flecking on its belly .
drent r . 1996 . myna eradication boosts tuis . sunday star times 4 , august 1996 .
tidemann c , 2007 . common indian myna website . , australia : australian national university . urltoken
in malaysia , where can the bird be found : - this species is almost wipe out of existence since the javan myna started moving north , coming in from singapore . up to the central part of peninsula malaysia , hardly able to see any bird at all . the jungle is seen in the northern states like perak and beyond . here from the central state of selangor southwards , the bird is integrated with the javan mynas .
the javan mynah is not in iucn ' s top - 100 list of invasive species , but it has pushed the common mynah right out of singaporeans ' collective consciousness .
tidemann , c . 2007a . common indian myna website > home . the australian national university . urltoken
hatzofe o ; perelman y , 2001 . myna trapping trial report : summary and recommendations . myna trapping trial report : summary and recommendations . , israel : israel nature and parks authority , 4 pp .
massam m , 2001 . common myna [ farmnote no . 61 / 2001 ] . common myna [ farmnote no . 61 / 2001 ] . , australia : department of agriculture ( western australia ) .
however , in singapore at least , the javan myna was not always so tolerant of human proximity . numbers remained low and distribution largely rural prior to wwii , and as recently as the late 1960s , ward ( 1968 ) described these birds as shy birds of the suburbs .
however , unlike the co - occuring common myna ( a . tristis ) , javan mynas do not remain faithful to a single communal roost , but shift between up to 4 different ones , effectively maintaining an activity space on average three times larger than their co - occuring cousins .
the cook islands natural heritage trust . 2005 . acridotheres tristis : manu kavamani ( common myna ) . urltoken
tidemann , c . 2007b . common indian myna website > identiying mynas . the australian national university . urltoken
tidemann , c . 2007g . common indian myna website > humane disposal . the australian national university . urltoken
tidemann , c . 2007h . common indian myna website > monitoring mynas . the australian national university . urltoken
from my observation , the common mynah appears to be more robust than the javan . once people step away , the common mynahs seem able to wrest adequate sustenance from the javans .
, but for some reason have lately become increasingly hard to find . beside the hill myna who has the extraordinary ability to mimic , the rest of the myna are no song bird . their calls coarse but loud .
the javan myna is predominantly black , with a white vent , a white wing patch , white on the underside of the tail , and has a thick yellow eye ring , legs and beak . it sometimes has grey ( white ) flecking on its belly . it can raise the feathers on its forehead into a dramatic crest . it , too , is an omnivorous bird , like the common myna .
singapore ' s population of javan mynahs was estimated recently to be more than 100 , 000 . but this is tiny compared with the human population of more than 5 . 5 million .
highlighted the value of habitat restoration for the management of myna populations and for safeguarding native birds in mainland situations .
department of agriculture and food western australia , 2008 . national animal pest alert : common myna . national animal pest alert : common myna . , australia : department of agriculture and food for the state of western australia . urltoken
the javan myna originates from java and was introduced in singapore via the cage bird trade . the species was established in singapore since 1925 and is now the most abundant bird locally . it is clad in grey plumage . two distinct white patches can be clearly seen on the underside of the wings during flight .
fig 15 . the bayesian majority rule consensus tree obtained using nd2 and coii mitochondrial genes for the genus acridotheres . posterior probabilities equal or higher than 0 . 95 are indicated at the node . specimen collection locality is noted next to each individual . the javan myna ' s position is indicated by the red line .
live arico . 2007 . first campaign for common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) control in the island of mallorca 2006 .
tidemann , c . 2007d . common indian myna website > are mynas spreading ? . the australian national university . urltoken
this abundant passerine is typically found in open woodland , cultivation and around habitation . although this is an adaptable species , its population has been decreasing significantly in singapore and malaysia ( where it is locally called as gembala kerbau , literally ' buffalo shepherd ' ) due to competition with its cousin , the introduced javan myna .
in india the common myna is referred to as the farmer’s friend because it protects crops by eating insect pests . the myna has been deliberately introduced to continental landmasses and islands with warm temperate to tropical climates , ostensibly to control invertebrate pests (
the javan myna is widespread in all terrestrial habitats except the forest interior . they form communal roosts in urban areas and have become a nuisance because of their loud , noisy squabbling when settling down to roost . their droppings litter roadsides and parking lots , where they roost in the trees . they regularly indulge in noisy fights .
the javan myna’s range has not been assessed comprehensively , in part hampered by controversy regarding its taxonomy . however , it is generally agreed to be indigenous to java and bali , and subsequently introduced to sarawak , sumatra , singapore , peninsular malaysia , the lesser sundas , and myanmar within southeast asia ( fig . 11 ) .
byrd , g . v . 1979 . common myna predation on wedge - tailed shearwater eggs . elepaio 39 : 69–70 .
cook islands biodiversity database . undated . acridotheres tristis manu kavamani , common myna . cook islands biodiversity & natural heritage . urltoken
hatzofe , o . 2001 . pers . commm . re : fw indian myna in west africa ( email communication . )
byrd gv , 1979 . common myna predation on wedge - tailed shearwater eggs . elepaio , 39 : 69 - 70 .
drent r , 1996 . myna eradication boosts tuis . sunday star - times 4 , august 1996 . , new zealand .
this bali myna species is the national symbol of the island of bali . this beautiful bird has been discovered in 1912 .
fig . 12 . javan myna roost locations in singapore in 2012 , with total range buffer ( radius = 990 . 14m ) superimposed and colored to show spatial clustering of mynas . pink dots represent large roosts ( > 50 birds ) while blue dots represent small roosts ( < 50 birds ) . place names are labeled accordingly .
aided by its flexible use of multiple communal roosting sites , javan mynas are able to make much more efficient use of ephemeral food sources , contributing up to 16 % of the intake in the singapore population .
size & diagnostic markings : - 25 cm . this is an average size myna with a slim body shape at 25 cm . body color - the body is uniformly in dark slaty black with contrasting white under tailed covert . head & crown - the head is blackish which in contrast with the grey body bill - definitely orange with the special feature of the dark blue at its base . eyes - quite common in yellow others - i find that the short crest is diagnostic when it get compared with the white - vented myna . the jungle myna which is less seen shares much similarity with the invading javan myna . it is the blue tinge at the beak that makes out the differences between the 2 birds .
figure 2 : “a myna feeding on human food residue” taken by myself on 14 april , 2010 at the deck , nus .
yet there is a another notable bird which has a name that sounds alike as the myna down under . the noisy miner .
distribution : - the jungle myna is to traced to places like north pakistan , india and a couple of other himalayan countries .
size & diagnostic markings : - 25 cm . mentioned earlier that the javan myna shares many similar features with the jungle myna , here again shown by its size of 25 cm . body color - the body is also uniformly in dark slaty black with contrasting white under tailed covert . head & crown - dark blackish crown with ear convert of same tone . bill - all yellow in color eyes - yellow others - the juveniles are more brown with little or no head crest .
government of western australia undated . national pest animal alert : common myna . government of western australia department of food and agriculture . urltoken
massam , m . 2001 . common myna [ farmnote no . 61 / 2001 ] . department of agriculture ( western australia ) .
the cook islands natural heritage trust , 2005 . acridotheres tristis : manu kavamani ( common myna ) . cook islands biodiversity website . urltoken
beichle , u . r . 1989 . common myna on upolu : first record for the western samoa islands . elepaio 49 : 85–86 .
beichle ur , 1989 . common myna on upolu : first record for the western samoa islands . elepaio , 49 : 85 - 86 .
records of two seizures involving the species were found , indicating that unreported and illegal trade of this species is ongoing . the first is a shipment from balikpapan to tanjung perak in 2015 , containing 320 javan mynas ( of which 5 were found dead ; urltoken ) . the second is a seizure of a shipment of 28 javan mynas and other species being smuggled from sumatra to jakarta ( urltoken ) . these seizures form an unknown proportion of illegal trade of this species .
a version of this article appeared in the print edition of the straits times on april 22 , 2016 , with the headline ' the javan mynah : today ' s pest , tomorrow ' s food ? ' . print edition | subscribe
the bird is a actually a welcome sign of life in the areas . not in large flock but appearing is a well scattered manner . only noisy when there is a dispute among themselves to be settled , i don ' t find the bird to be a pest . for those of you curious about myna . this is the myna to start with . because ! the only myna with a yellow skin around the eye . cannot go wrong . so in the park , you could start by knowing whether the bird seen is a
common
or not . pity that in central peninsula we are having less common mynas now when compared with javan .
the javan myna is considered a pest , especially in urban areas which they prefer . they deposit droppings over buildings and even on unsuspecting human beings . their roost also contaminate the ground below by the droppings . apart from that , they are also a source of noise pollution and are capable of spreading zoonoses . singapore bans sale of this birds , only when it came from plantations .
the common myna obeys gloger ' s rule in that the birds from northwest india tend to be paler than their darker counterparts in south india .
, and present - day common mynas are now mainly restricted to rural and beach habitats . it therefore appears that increasing urbanization and availability of human waste as a food source has favoured the javan mynas’ shift towards a more human - tolerant population .
live arico tenerife animal and environmental protection , 2007 . first campaign for common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) control in the island of mallorca . first campaign for common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) control in the island of mallorca . [ final report for the environment department balearic islands ' government . ]
both birds , the common myna and the noisy miner could be found in the same vicinity . the noisy miner manorina melanocephala is a nectar - feeding bird indigenous to australia whereas the common myna is an introduced species . both birds are equally matched - almost the same size , are known for their aggression . the noisy miner extremely territorial when it comes to feeding and the common myna can attack other birds to get the best nesting holes .
the common myna usually raises two broods per season , laying up to six pale greenish - blue eggs ( 3 . 1cm x 2 . 2cm ;
department of agriculture and food . , 2008 . national animal pest alert : common myna . department of agriculture and food the state of western australia urltoken
javan mynas are highly gregarious and form large communal roosts of hundreds , and even thousands , of birds in urban areas , where they are often considered a nuisance because of their loud , noisy squabbling when settling down to roost and their droppings littering roadsides . javan mynas have been reported to use anting as a means of feather maintenance , where they rub insects , usually ants , directly onto their feathers and skin . this behaviour forces the insects to secrete formic acid which acts as an insecticide and bactericide .
“this is one of the many reasons javan myna came top of the list of most common birds found in singapore in a recent study ( chong , k . y . , s . teo , kurukulasuriya , y . f . chung & s . rajathurai , 2012 . decadal changes in urban bird abundance in singapore . the raffles bulletin of zoology . supplement no . 25 : 189 - 196 . )
native to india , asia and the middle east , the indian myna is a medium - sized bird with a yellow bill and brown and black feathers .
cook islands biodiversity database , 2007 . acridotheres tristis manu kavamani , common myna . , cook islands : cook islands biodiversity & natural heritage , unpaginated . urltoken
fig . 9 . the trees lining orchard road , singapore , provide excellent roosts for javan mynas , many of which have taken up residence to the dismay of retailers and shoppers . ( photograph by terence ong ) ( cc by - sa 3 . 0 )
craig , a . & feare , c . ( 2018 ) . javan myna ( acridotheres javanicus ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .
the javan myna has an omnivorous diet and will eat geckos , dragonflies , centipedes , earthworms and even carrion and human food waste . this diet is supplemented with fruits of noni , wild fig and white - stemmed button vine and nectar from umbrella trees , golden penda and african tulip . they are known to eat the fermented fruits of the madras thorn which can intoxicate them and cause them to stagger around when walking .
the first picture showing a jungle myna with its orange beak . of course , colors could be dramatic as pictures taken under varying condition may influence the intensity of tone . the main point wad to show the diferences in tone on the beak . next most crucial point would be the dark blue patch on the beak of the jungle myna and the neat clean bill of the javan . lastly in the centre picture some beaks with contamination . my personal opinion , could this be n indication of cross breeding and also an explanation how the jungle mynas are seen so much less in intensity ?
) . in view of the inaccessibility of many myna nests , trapping in the nest seems to be unlikely to make a major contribution to control or eradication .
markula , a . , m . hannan - jones & s . csurhes . 2009 . pest animal risk assessment indian myna acridotheres tristis . queensland government . urltoken
martin , w . k . 1996 . the current and potential distribution of the common myna acridotheres tristis in australia , emu 96 : 166 - 173 . urltoken
habitats & preferences : - like the common myna , this is a lowland bird of the open space . perched in the middle storey and foraging on the ground .
found a negative relationship between myna establishment and the long - term population trends of three native cavity - nesting species and eight small species , six of them native .
newey , philip . 2007 . foraging behaviour of the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) in relation to vigilance and group size , emu 107 : 315 - 320 .
tidemann , c . 2007f . common indian myna website > trapping mynas : humane bird trap for common indian mynas and european starlings . the australian national university . urltoken
tidemann , c . 2007e . common indian myna website > minimising mynas : mitigation of the impact of mynas on biodiversity and public amenity . the australian national university . urltoken
government of western australia , 2008 . national pest animal alert : common myna . , australia : government of western australia department of food and agriculture , 4 pp . urltoken
pell as ; tidemann cr , 1996 . the ecology of the common myna in urban nature reserves in the australian capital territory . emu , 97 : 141 - 149 .
like other sturnids it is omnivorous , roosts in colonies and is abundantly successful in a variety of habitats . javan mynas are as accomplished in cities as they are in padi fields , where they will prey on insects disturbed by water buffalo , often riding the buffalo like the related oxpecker .
many years ago , the brown common mynas were indeed very common in singapore . but now , we see mainly the black javan mynas . apparently , the black mynas have out - competed the brown mynas , taking over the common niche and hence making them the ‘common’ mynas in singapore today .
there is some confusion over naming between a . grandis and a . javanicus , which was until recently considered a subspecies of the pale - bellied myna , a . cinereus .
gill , b . j . 1999 . a myna increase – notes on introduced mynas ( acridotheres ) and bulbuls ( pycnonotus ) in western samoa . notornis 46 : 268–269 .
gill bj , 1999 . a myna increase - notes on introduced mynas ( acridotheres ) and bulbuls ( pycnonotus ) in western samoa . notornis , 46 : 268 - 269 .
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 .
this entry was posted in archive , asia , indonesian cagebird trade , taxonomy and tagged bali , black - winged myna , cagebird trade , indonesia , java . bookmark the permalink .
boo , j . t . c . , k . e . ong , x . r . ong & e . j . y . soh , 2013 . spatial distribution of javan mynas in singapore . unpublished ge3238 : gis design and practices project report . national university of singapore . singapore , 87pp .
live arico tenerife animal and environmental protection , 2007 . first campaign for common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) control in the island of mallorca . final report for the environment departament balearic islands’ government
martin wk , 1996 . the current and potential distribution of the common myna acridotheres tristis in australia . emu , 96 : 166 - 173 . urltoken ; _ id = mu9960166 . pdf
“besides this myna , a family of white breasted waterhen ( amaurornis phoenicurus ) would also respond to his daily call and comes out from the jungle to accept his offerings of meal worms .
your observation about the boldness of javan mynahs vis a vis common mynahs is spot - on . in my previous house , which i vacated only two years ago , i had a regular feeding station for wild birds . the javans would always be first to the feeders , but there were always common mynahs hanging around .
21–25 cm ; 100 g . a typical blackish myna with prominent frontal crest and elongated crown feathers . head is black , forehead , crown and ear - coverts slightly glossed ; . . .
the nectarivorous and frugivorous components of the common myna’s diet give it role in the pollination and seed dispersal of some plants . this is regarded as a valuable ecosystem service in its native range (
hatzofe , o . and perelman , y . 2001 . myna trapping trial report : summary and recommendations . israel nature and parks authority internal report of the science and conservation division . 4pp .
and i think this is one reason why they have managed to “crowd out” the common myna species here in singapore . perhaps the common mynas aren’t as “aggressive” when it comes to obtaining food .
we found a total of only 3 black - winged myna’s for sale throughout our surveys . however , they were the third most expensive species ( average price usd $ 120 ) throughout all our surveys .
pell , a . s . & c . r . tidemann . 1996 . the ecology of the common myna in urban nature reserves in the australian capital territory , emu 97 : 141 - 149 .
newey p , 2007 . foraging behaviour of the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) in relation to vigilance and group size . emu – austral ornithology , 107 ( 4 ) : 315 - 320 . urltoken
tindall sd ; ralph cj ; clout mn , 2007 . changes in bird abundance following common myna control on a new zealand island . pacific conservation biology , 13 ( 3 ) : 202 - 212 .
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 .
i live in the west coast and the central portion of peninsula malaysia . in my outings within the state of selangor , the mynas that i encountered , about two third of which are javan mynas and remaining third common mynas . there are a few colonies of white - vented in my housing estate . hence spending time to learn about jungle myna is out of the question as i don ' t get to meet up with them . in my outings to the northern states , birds other than mynas have a higher priority on my list . again no time was devoted to study the pattern of mynas distribution . after finishing this page , i guess its time for priority to shifting ! my hunt for this forest myna is still on - going .
black - winged myna ( acridotheres melanopterus ) is being split into a . melanopterus , a tricolor and a . tertius , following the application of criteria set out by tobias et al . ( 2010 ) .
pell as ; tidemann cr , 1997 . the ecology of the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) in urban nature reserves in the australian capital territory ( abstract ) . emu , 97 : 141 - 149 .
the iucn declared this myna as one of the only three birds among the world ' s 100 worst invasive species . ( the other two invasive birds are the red - vented bulbul and the european starling . )
the common myna widely appears under the name saarika in indian culture from vedic times , featuring both in classical indian literature ( sanskrit ) as well as in prakrit buddhist texts . the sankrit term shuksarika , which refers to the rose - ringed parakeet ( shuk ) and the common myna ( saarika ) , is used to indicate a pair or a couple , probably because both birds are vocal and capable of mimicking human sound .
“the female myna would also respond to his call , but would not perch on the cup in his hand to take the offerings . only when they are thrown a short distance away would she take the worms .
in sanskrit literature , the common myna has a number of names , most are descriptive of the appearance or behaviour of the bird . in addition to saarika , the names for the common myna include kalahapriya , which means
one who is fond of arguments
referring to the quarrelsome nature of this bird ; chitranetra , meaning
picturesque eyes
; peetanetra ( one with yellow eyes ) and peetapaad ( one with yellow legs ) .
. english : myna bird perched on the branch of a flowering tree . measurements : 25 . 8 × 14 . 3 cm ( sheet ) technique : nishiki - e ( color woodblock print ) inscription ( signature ) : koryū ga . circa 1775 . koryusai ( 1735–1790 ) description japanese artist and painter date of birth / death 1735 circa 1790 work location tokyo authority control : q3155497 viaf : 316740801 rkd : 442421 915 myna by koryusai
juvenile javan mynas tend to be browner , with a very short brown frontal crest . their underparts appear to be paler and mousier , sometimes with pale feather margins producing a streaky appearance . however , juveniles retain sharply white undertail - coverts very similar to adults . likewise , the white bases to primaries and tail tip are present in juveniles , but in a narrower band .
figure 1 : “a myna nest under the rooftop tiles” by lim jun ying . bird ecology study group , nature society ( singapore ) , 3 january , 2007 . url : urltoken ( accessed on 12 april , 2010 )
well , there are quite a number of examples of how birds in the wild get to be comfortable with us humans when we do not pose a threat to them , black kites swooping down to grab sandwiches off an unsuspecting victim , javan mynas walking into our kitchen to finish off the cat food left behind etc… . yes it is fun to watch all these bird behavoir at very close range…
markula a ; hannan - jones m ; csurhes s , 2009 . pest animal risk assessment : indian myna acridotheres tristis . , australia : the state of queensland , department of employment , economic development and innovation , 20 pp . urltoken
millett j ; climo g ; jivan shah n , 2004 . eradication of the common myna acridotheres tristis populations in the granitic seychelles : successes , failures and lessons learned . advances in vertebrate pest management , 3 : 169 - 183 .
the common myna is able to adapt to a wide range of climates and habitats and will use different habitats to suit its needs . in fiji and the seychelles it sometimes feeds and drinks on the seashore , eating littoral invertebrates and detritus (
dhami , m . k . & nagle , b . 2009 . review of the biology and ecology of the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) and some implications for management of this invasive species . pii ( pacific invasives initiative ) . urltoken
pell , a . s . and tidemann , c . r . 1997 . the ecology of the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) in urban nature reserves in the australian capital territory ( abstract ) , emu 97 : 141 - 149 .
dhami mk ; nagle b , 2009 . review of the biology and ecology of the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) and some implications for management of this invasive species . auckland , new zealand : pii ( pacific invasives initiative ) . urltoken
this aggressiveness has enabled the common myna to displace many breeding pairs of native hollow - nesters , thereby reducing their reproductive success . in australia , their aggressiveness has enabled them to chase native birds as large as galahs out of their nests .
the common myna is a hollow - nesting species ; that is , it nests and breeds in protected hollows found either naturally in trees or artificially on buildings ( for example , recessed windowsills or low eaves ) . compared to native hollow - nesting species , the common myna is extremely aggressive , and breeding males will actively defend areas ranging up to 0 . 83 hectares in size ( though males in densely populated urban settings tend to only defend the area immediately surrounding their nests ) .
millett , j , climo , g & jivan shah , n . 2004 . eradication of the common myna acridotheres tristis populations in the granitic seychelles : successes , failures and lessons learned . advances in vertebrate pest management 3 : 169 - 183 .
fleischer , r . c . , r . n . williams & a . j . baker . 1991 . genetic variation within and among populations of the common myna ( acridotheres tristis ) in hawaii , journal of heredity 82 : 205 - 208 .
tindall , s . d . , c . j . ralph & m . n . clout . 2007 . changes in bird abundance following common myna control on a new zealand island , pacific conservation biology 13 ( 3 ) : 202 - 212 .
habitats & preferences : - this is a bird of the lowlands . an open country bird that prefers grasslands especially those with streams or pond nearby . unlike other mynas , the jungle myna is less of a bird to visit the public park areas . .
it is conspecific ( of , or belonging to , the same species ) , and thought to be in competition with the common or indian myna ( a . tristis ) in some of its range ( for example , india , malaysia and singapore ) .
the javan mynas have a varied diet , including food scraps left behind by humans . some individuals can even hop onto a tree trunk and hunt insects under the bark , or forage near the coast , like waders . they regularly follow grass cutters to catch displaced insects ; as well as wildboars and water buffaloes , as reported from malaysia . in terms of animal prey , they take gecko , dragonflies and centipedes , among others .
archived 2016 topics : black - winged myna ( acridotheres melanopterus ) is being split into a . melanopterus , a tricolor and a . tertius : retain a . melanopterus as critically endangered , and additionally list a . tricolor and a . tertius as critically endangered ?
i also start to wonder whether only the male does it . i observed one of a myna pair near the edge of the road performing the
head - bob
. after it was done , the other myna beside it started to do the same . if it was a pair of one male and one female ( life mates ) , then i can be sure that both sexes perform it and territory ( if it was territorial in the first place ) was
held on
by both members of the pair .
most of the common myna’s indigenous range lies within the tropics and subtropics , up to 30°n , but recent range extensions in turkey and southern russia have reached about 40°n . most of its introduced range also falls within these limits , but reaches over 40°s in tasmania .
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 . several methods have been tried to control the bird ' s numbers and protect native species .
i was watching exactly the same today . a javan mynah came from nowhere to alight at the back of the rubbish truck on the off chance of picking up a tasty morsel . the risky behaviour you mention i observed only two days ago . a thirsty mynah landed to drink at a water filled pothole in the fast lane of dunearn road . i really wondered at its sense but it got away with it and took flight before it was flattened !
the indian myna is not a prohibited or restricted invasive animal under the biosecurity act 2014 . however , by law , everyone has a general biosecurity obligation ( gbo ) to take reasonable and practical steps to minimise the risks associated with invasive plants and animals under their control .
the myna has been introduced in many other parts of the world such as canada , australia , israel , new zealand , new caledonia , hawaii , south africa , kazakhstan , kyrgyzstan , uzbekistan and islands in the indian ocean ( seychelles , mauritius , réunion , madagascar , maldives , andaman and nicobar islands and lakshadweep archipelago ) and also in islands of the atlantic and pacific oceans . the range of the common myna is increasing to the extent that in 2000 the iucn species survival commission declared it among the world ' s 100 worst invasive species .
21cm . a blackish , noisy and active myna with white bases to the primaries , a white vent and white tips to the tail feathers . bill and legs are yellow and the iris is pale whitish - yellow , in contrast to the dark eye of a . grandis .
3 responses to archived 2016 topics : black - winged myna ( acridotheres melanopterus ) is being split into a . melanopterus , a tricolor and a . tertius : retain a . melanopterus as critically endangered , and additionally list a . tricolor and a . tertius as critically endangered ?
the common myna ( which feeds mostly on ground - dwelling insects , tropical fruits such as grapes , plums and some berries and , in urban areas , discarded human food ) poses a serious threat to australian blueberry crops , though its main threat is to native bird species .
the common name of the bird is myna . spelled often with a
h
as mynah . this is a bird from the starling family - sturnidae . the term
myna
is used widely for any bird that looks like starling , irrespective whether they are from the same family or not . mynas are fair size birds , i . e . passerines with strong feet , powerful flier and direct to their destination . most species are gregarious and generally are an open country bird . they are in dark color and often with a tinge of brown .
the bird can live and breed in a wide range of temperatures , ranging from the harsh winters of canberra to the tropical climate of cairns . 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 the arid interior regions ) .
little is known of predators of common mynas . ali and ripley ( 1972 ) mentioned noisy defence against cats and snakes , and introduced cats and native snakes may take mynas ( and snakes possibly take their eggs ) where mynas have been introduced . snakes may also take myna eggs .
worldwide there are 114 species and in south east asia , there are 23 species . found naturally in south and eastern asia . in many region , some mynas were introduced species to these countries . the common myna with its habits and breeding rate is often regarded as a invasive species .
peacock ds ; rensburg bjvan ; robertson mp , 2007 . the distribution and spread of the invasive alien common myna , acridotheres tristis l . ( aves : sturnidae ) , in southern africa . south african journal of science , 103 ( 11 / 12 ) : 465 - 473 . urltoken
gang fights
were often to the death . these were one - on - one battles where each member of a gang took on another from the other gang , instead of a wild 4 - 5 mobbing a single bird . and only one myna of the fighting pair walked away alive .
archived 2016 topics : black - winged myna ( acridotheres melanopterus ) is being split into a . melanopterus , a tricolor and a . tertius : retain a . melanopterus as critically endangered , and additionally list a . tricolor and a . tertius as critically endangered ? | birdlife ' s globally threatened bird forums
the indian myna was introduced to both the north island and south island of new zealand in the 1870s . however , the cooler summer temperatures in the south island appear to have impeded the breeding success rate of the southern populations , preventing the proliferation of the species , which was largely non - existent there by the 1890s . in contrast , the north island population was able to breed more successfully and large portions of the north island are now populated . however , in the southern reaches of the north island , the cooler summer temperatures , like those of the south island , have prevented the establishment of large indian myna populations .