Myna: The Versatile and Vocal Songbird
Introduction:
There are many reasons why they are known for their vocal abilities and versatility. This bird belongs to a family called starlings, which is also referred to as Sturnidae. South and Southeast Asia are where these medium-sized birds come from, although they have established themselves in different parts of the world, including wilderness and towns. These little animals are quite friendly and intelligent, and they can even speak like human beings, among many others, making them some of the most charming birds in their kind.
Amazing Facts:
- Experts in Imitation: Some species, such as the common hill myna (Gracula religiosa), imitate human speech with great clarity that matches that of parrots.
- Quick On Learning Curve: Situated anywhere from lively cities to thick woods, they are able to live well.
- Cooperative Behaviour: They are social animals; hence, they often eat together in groups or sleep within large numbers on trees.
- Aggressive Invaders: Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) and other introduced species are invasive in many parts of the world whereby they outcompete native birds.
- Ecological Role: They perform well in controlling insect populations but also assist in seed dispersal, which ultimately leads to forest regeneration.
Habitat and Diet:
Habitat:
They are highly versatile birds and occupy a range of habitats.
- Urban Areas: Commonly, they are often seen in cities, scavenging for food in parks, markets, and gardens.
- Farmlands: Open agricultural areas provide abundant food sources, including insects and grains.
- Forests: Some species, like the hill myna, prefer tropical forests with dense vegetation.
- Geographic Range: Native to Asia, they have expanded their range to Australia, the Middle East, Africa, and islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans through human introduction.
Diet:
They are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders.
- Insects: grasshoppers, together with beetles as well as Ants, make up a major part of their diet
- Fruits and Seeds: They consume different types of fruits, such as berries, while they also ingest cereal crops
- Human Food: In urban areas, they consume garbage from leftovers as well as discarded food items
- Nectar: Some species, such as jungle myna, feed on nectar, playing a role in pollination.
Appearance:
They are medium-sized birds and do have distinguishing features:
- Size: Compared to their body size, they are relatively longer with wingspans that range from 35 cm to 46 cm.
- Colour: Among the species, the majority of them have brown or black-coloured wings with white patches on them that can be seen when flying.
- Skin and Scales: For many species, mostly they have bright yellow beaks and legs, which distinguishes them conspicuously and adds colour to their appearance.
- Eyes: In addition to the eyes themselves, some of the birds have scales around the eyes brightly coloured in orange and yellow shades.
- Wings: They have broad wings, which make them good fliers, although they have short tails.
Types/Subspecies of Myna:
They are composed of various species, each with a distinct feature:
- Common myth: Existing in cities everywhere. Adaptable and vocalising well known for it.
- Hill Myna: It has been popular for its ability to impersonate human speech patterns by repeating what it has heard people say as well as sounds from other animals, apart from uttering words phonetically like most people do normally. It prefers living in forests.
- Jungle Myna: Usually found in rural settings, including areas with trees. People can differentiate it from other common types of birds by looking at its feathers, which look like shiny covers because they are so glossy.
- Bali Myna: endangered animal due to overhunting and habitat loss; Bali island is its only stronghold. Appreciated for having snow-white feathers with blue rings around the eyes.
- Bank Myna: Typically seen along streams or near fields where crops are grown. Body is greyish-blue slate while eye markings are orange, making it one of the few distinctive features of these birds.
Predators and Threats:
Natural enemies:
There are several natural risks to mynas:
- Birds of Prey: Grown mynas get hunted by hawks and eagles.
- Snakes and Monitor Lizards: They mainly target eggs and chicks in the nests.
- Mammals: They are also preyed on by small carnivores like Mongooses and civets.
Threats:
- Loss of Habitat: Nesting and foraging areas decrease through deforestation and urban development.
- Invasive Competition: In the regions where common they have been brought, they exclude native birds from resources.
- Trapping and Poaching: Among other reasons, traders often take them as pets, especially those with mimic vocal skills.
Mating and Reproduction:
Courtship and Breeding Behaviors of them:
- Courtship Displays: Male often do calls, wing fluttering or head bobbing in an effort to win females over
- Nest Sites: They nest in cavities, including tree holes, vacated woodpecker holes, or even man-made structures such as building rooftops or street lights.
- Eggs and Incubation: A female lays between three to six blue-green eggs? Both parents share a duty of incubating, which is for around 14–15 days at most.
- Chick Rearing: At this time both parents feed their offspring until they are ready to leave, which takes about 3 weeks approximately.
How They Communicate:
They are very talkative birds, and they use a variety of sounds and actions to communicate with one another.
Visual Signals:
- They produce many different kinds of sounds—for example, whistles, squawks, or chirps.
- Hill mynas in particular have been known to be able to mimic human speech and other sounds within the environment.
Body Language:
- Messages are passed on by other birds through head movements, wing flutters, or tail flicks.
Social Calls:
- Certain calls that mynas make help them coordinate flock movements as well as alert others of an incoming predator.
Movies Featuring Myna:
- World on a Wire: This is directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder in 1973, was a science fiction film that featured the presence of a myna bird as a symbolic element.
- The Woman in Black: It was released in 2012 is one of the horror movies featuring Daniel Radcliffe where at some point a mynah bird can be seen enhancing eeriness.
- The Brady Kids on Mysterious Island: A magical mynah bird in this animated TV episode from 1972 called The Brady Kids on Mysterious Island.
- The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries: An episode titled ‘A Mynah Problem’ features a myna bird, adding to the animated adventures.
How would you pronounce it?
- English: Myna
- Hindi: मैना (Maina)
- Spanish: Miná
- French: Martin triste
- German: Mynah
- Mandarin Chinese: 八哥鸟 (Bāgē Niǎo)
- Japanese: マイナ (Maina)
- Russian: Майна (Maina)
- Arabic: المينا (Al-Mina)
FAQs:
Q: Can talking like parrots be done by mynas?
A: Certain species, such as hill myna, have excellent mimicking capabilities, which allow them to imitate human speech very effectively.
Q: What are some reasons as to why common mynas are referred to as invasive?
A: Common myna birds compete with native bird species for diet and nesting places, causing disruption in local ecosystems.
Q: What is eaten by Mynas?
A: They are omnivorous animals, and this implies that they feed on insects, fruits, seeds and even human leftovers.
Q: Are they threatened?
A: Even though most of these birds are safe from extinction risk, Bali myna is critically endangered because its population has declined owing to illegal shooting and loss of habitat.
Q: How long can they live for?
A: Most wild ones normally live for between four and six years whereas in captivity; some can survive for up to 20 years.
