Salalah: A study showed a dip in the population of native and migratory birds amid the spread of invasive species like mynah and jungle crow.
This study was carried out by the Environment Authority represented by the Environmental Conservation Office in Dhofar on the diversity of birds in the Khor Salalah Nature Reserve. It is one of the important reserves to protect the wetlands species in the Sultanate of Oman due to its location and the natural components it contains.
The study aims to know the types of birds, count their numbers and study their behaviour. The study identifies the changes that occur in the ecosystems of the reserves and contributes to updating the data in the national reports and communications that the Sultanate of Oman submits to the relevant international organisations, which improves the standings of the Sultanate of Oman according to environmental indicators. It is one of the main commitments of the Oman Vision 2040 Strategy.
The creek and the semi-saline water lakes constitute an ideal nesting environment for native birds, as well as contain important food stocks and resting stations for the migratory birds.
Ahmed bin Saeed Jashoul, an environmental systems specialist, explained that the study started in August and continues until the end of this year. It included morning and evening visits to specific tracks inside and around the reserve to monitor and document the behaviour of birds.
Mynah, which come from India, China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and western Indonesia, belong to the starling family. These birds are 22-25cm long and wings extend to 36.5cm when flying. These are medium-sized birds with a black head and yellow feet.
Mynahs affect the food chain in the areas of their existence and attack other birds’ nests, killing the young ones. In 2000, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the bird among ‘100 of the World’s Most Invasive Species’.
These birds cause a lot of damage by destroying crops, eating bees and transmitting diseases, parasites and fleas to humans as well as animals.
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