Description
Common Hill mynah birds (;
also spelled mynah) is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Several species have been introduced to areas like North America, Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand, especially the common myna which is often regarded as an invasive species. It is often known as "Selarang" and "Teck Meng" in Malay and Chinese respectively in Singapore, due to their high population there.
Common hill Myna birds are not a natural group; instead, the term
myna is used for any starling in the Indian subcontinent, regardless of their relationships. This range was colonized twice during the evolution of starlings, first by rather ancestral starlings related to the coleto and
Aplonis lineages, and millions of years later by birds related to the common starling and wattled starling's ancestors. These two groups of mynas can be distinguished in the more terrestrial adaptions of the latter, which usually also have less glossy plumage except on the heads and longer tails. The Bali myna, which is critically endangered and nearly extinct in the wild, is highly distinctive.
Some mynas are considered talking birds, for their ability to reproduce sounds, including human speech, when in captivity.
Myna is derived from the
Hindi language mainā which itself is derived from
Sanskrit madanā.
Species
The following are species of mynas. The coleto and the two
Saroglossa starlings are included because of their position in the taxonomic list.
Jungle and hill mynas
- Yellow-faced Myna, Mino dumontii
Golden Myna, Mino anais
Long-tailed Myna, Mino kreffti
Sulawesi Myna, Basilornis celebensis
Helmeted Myna, Basilornis galeatus
Long-crested Myna, Basilornis corythaix
Apo Myna, Basilornis miranda
White-necked Myna, Streptocitta albicollis
Bare-eyed Myna, Streptocitta albertinae
Fiery-browed Myna, Enodes erythrophris
Finch-billed Myna, Scissirostrum dubium
Golden-crested Myna, Ampeliceps coronatus
Common Hill Myna, Gracula religiosa
Southern Hill Myna, Gracula indica
Enggano Hill Myna, Gracula enganensis
Nias Hill Myna, Gracula robusta
Sri Lanka Hill Myna, Gracula ptilogenys
"True" mynas
- Great myna, Acridotheres grandis
- Crested myna, Acridotheres cristatellus
- Javan myna, Acridotheres javanicus
- Pale-bellied myna, Acridotheres cinereus
- Jungle myna, Acridotheres fuscus
- Collared myna, Acridotheres albocinctus
- Bank myna, Acridotheres ginginianus
- Common myna, Acridotheres tristis
- Bali myna, Leucopsar rothschildi
"Gracupica" mynas
- Indian pied myna, Gracupica contra
- Siamese pied myna, Gracupica floweri
- Javan pied myna, Gracupica jalla
The common hill myna, Gracula religiosa, often spelled "mynah" and previously known simply as the hill myna or myna bird, is frequently observed in aviculture and commonly referred to by the latter names. Belonging to the starling family Sturnidae, it inhabits the hilly areas of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Sri Lanka hill myna, once considered a subspecies of G. religiosa, is now recognized as a distinct species, G. ptilogenys. Similarly, the Enggano hill myna (G. enganensis) and the Nias hill myna (G. robusta) are acknowledged as separate species. Many experts also advocate for the classification of the southern hill myna (G. indica) from the Nilgiris and the Western Ghats of India as its own species.
The common hill myna is renowned for its ability to mimic human speech. The species name religiosa possibly refers to the tradition of teaching mynas to recite prayers.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.