Birds Posters
Mynas
Common mynas are native to south Asia. Their natural breeding range is from Afghanistan through India and Sri Lanka to Bangladesh.
Common mynas range in body length from 23 to 26 cm, weigh anywhere from 82 to 143 grams, and have a wingspan of 120 to 142 mm.
The female and the male are monomorphic for the most part the male is only slightly larger, with a greater body mass and wingspan.
Common mynas have yellow bills, legs, and eye skin.
Common mynas are monogamous and territorial. In Hawaii pairs stay together year round.
Common mynas are social, with juveniles forming small flocks after they leave their parents.
Adults forage in loose flocks of 5 or 6, composed of single birds, pairs, and family groups.
It forages on the ground among grass for insects, especially for grasshoppers, from which it gets its genus name Acridotheres, "grasshopper hunter".
It is known to maintain up to two roosts simultaneously; a temporary summer roost close to a breeding site, and a permanent all-year roost where the female broods and incubates overnight.
The Crested Myna was first described in 1766 by Carolus Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist.
It is an introduced songbird from southern China and northern Indochina that has successfully colonized urban and agricultural habitats in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Common Hill Myna, Common Grackle, or the Talking Myna) is native to eastern India, southern China, Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Phillippines.
The Hill myna averages 27-30 cm in length. It has a glossy black appearance with feathers that vary in undertone.
The crown, nape, and breast has a purple glow while the rest of the body is tinted with green and the tail is polished turquoise.
In the Garo Hills area of Assam, the locals induce the birds to breed in artificial nests put up in accessible positions at the edge of a small village.
The Hill Myna is a popular cage bird. Demand in the West outstrips breeding capacity so they are seldom found in pet stores.
It is becoming rare in regions of Northeastern India due to capture for the illegal pet trade.
The villagers are able to extract the young at the proper time for easy hand-rearing, making Hill Myna farming a profitable minor cottage industry.