Myna becomes Gong's most wanted

The council is asking residents to take part in workshops aimed at teaching them how to capture and humanely euthanise the pests known as the "rats of the sky".

About 240 bird trappers are active in the area using traps made by volunteers at the Corrimal Men's Shed.

Before being given the traps, residents are taught at the workshops how to catch and dispose of the birds humanely.

The methods taught have been accepted by the Pest Animal Advisory Group, an organisation of animal welfare and government agencies.

Acting natural areas co-ordinater Alycia Clifford said the council had no concrete figures on the impact of the Myna bird population, but said anecdotal evidence suggested the birds displace native birds.

"We have had a lot of anecdotal information come to us and one of the main concerns is the impact the myna birds are having on native nesting birds," she said.

Information gleaned from the program is being fed into a study by the University of Western Sydney, which is conducting a two-year research project into the impact of the bird.

Residents have a number of euthanasia techniques at their disposal, including "cervial dislocation", otherwise known as wringing the bird's neck, or gassing, which takes place at the council.

Any methods outside the approved techniques can attract heavy fines, Ms Clifford said.

"This program is a positive way people can reduce numbers of this species that is native to the Indian sub-continent and south-east Asia."

The Indian myna was introduced into Australia in the late 1860s to control insects, but their numbers have since grown out of control.

For more information, you can visit Wollongong City Council's website or call the council's Customer Service Centre on 4227 7111.

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