''Acridotheres'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...

s, the "typical"

myna The mynas (; also spelled mynah) are a group of birds in the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to Iran and Southern Asia, especially Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lan ...

s, which are tropical members of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Sturnidae.

Distribution

This genus has representatives in tropical southern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

east to southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Two species have been introduced widely elsewhere. The common myna has been introduced to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and the crested myna to the

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

region of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Morphology

The ''Acridotheres'' mynas are generally dark or dull birds with fluted calls like most starlings; the sexes are similar. They walk and hop, and may share adaptations along with the ''Sturnus'' starlings that have modifications to the skull and its muscles for open bill probing or prying. They resemble the hill mynas (''

Gracula ''Gracula'' is a genus of mynas, tropical members of the starling family of birds found in southern Asia and introduced to Florida in the United States. Taxonomy The genus ''Gracula'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linna ...

'') with which they often co-occur, in having large white or buff wing patches which are obvious in flight and in some also naked areas on the head, but differ in that only the head plumage is glossy, and the underparts tend to be paler. The naked head patches are different in arrangement. ''Acridotheres'' mynas are also much more terrestrial than ''Gracula''. Several species have frontal crests which become covered with pollen when the birds take nectar from flowers, and may play a role in pollination.

Behaviour

The ''Acridotheres'' mynas have bowing courtship displays and lay unmarked pale blue eggs, whereas ''Gracula'' has no visual display. Like most starlings, the ''Acridotheres'' mynas are fairly

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

, eating

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

Taxonomy

The genus ''Acridotheres'' was introduced by the French ornithologist

Louis Pierre Vieillot Louis Pierre Vieillot (10 May 1748, Yvetot – 24 August 1830, Sotteville-lès-Rouen) was a French ornithologist. Vieillot is the author of the first scientific descriptions and Linnaean names of a number of birds, including species he collected ...

in 1816. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

, ''A. tristis'' was subsequently designated as the

common myna The common myna or Indian myna (''Acridotheres tristis''), sometimes spelled mynah, is a bird in the Family (biology), family Sturnidae, native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the common myna has ada ...

. The name ''Acridotheres'' combines the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

words ''akridos'' "locust" and ''-thēras'' "-hunter". Despite being called "mynas", the ''Acridotheres'' genus is more closely related to a group of mainly terrestrial starlings from

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

, such as the

common starling The common starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and ha ...

, and also

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n ones like the ''

Lamprotornis ''Lamprotornis'' is a large genus of glossy starlings all of which occur in Africa south of the Sahara. They have glossy blue or green upper parts, which is due to hollow melanin granules arranged in a single layer near the feather barbule's sur ...

'' glossy-starlings. Among these, they are among the larger and duller species; they seem to be one of the major groups to

evolve Evolve may refer to: * Evolution, change in heritable characteristics of biological populations over time Music * ''Evolve'' (Ani DiFranco album) or the title song, 2003 * ''Evolve'' (Coldrain album), 2014 * ''Evolve'' (Endo album), 2001 * '' ...

most recently. Apparently, they all arose from ancestors which arrived from

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

and adapted to more

humid Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

conditions in the

Tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

. They presumably were isolated in about their current range when the

evolutionary radiation An evolutionary radiation is an increase in taxonomic diversity that is caused by elevated rates of speciation, that may or may not be associated with an increase in morphological disparity. A significantly large and diverse radiation within ...

to which they belonged - including the

wattled starling The wattled starling (''Creatophora cinerea'') is a nomadic resident bird in eastern and southern Africa. It is a species of grassland, open woodland, and cultivation. This is the only African starling that appears to show affinities with the As ...

and the ''

Sturnia ''Sturnia'' is a genus of Asian birds in the starling family Sturnidae. It is sometimes merged with ''Sturnus''. Taxonomy The genus ''Sturnia'' was introduced in 1837 by the French naturalist René Lesson. He designated the type species as ''Pas ...

'' species - was fragmented by

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

at the start of the

Early Pliocene Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ...

, as Earth turned towards the last ice age 5 million years ago.

Species

The genus contains 11 known

extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

species: *

Great myna The great myna (''Acridotheres grandis''), also known as the white-vented myna, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Nepal and Northeast India, through Bangladesh to Southeast Asia. Description It is black with elo ...

, ''Acridotheres grandis'' *

Crested myna The crested myna (''Acridotheres cristatellus''), also known as the Chinese starling, is a species of starling in the genus '' Acridotheres'' native to southeastern China and Indochina.Feare, C., Craig, A., Croucher, B., Shields, C., Komolphalin ...

, ''Acridotheres cristatellus'' *

Javan myna The Javan myna (''Acridotheres javanicus''), also known as the white-vented myna, is a species of myna. It is a member of the starling family. It is native to Bali and Java. It has been introduced to other Asian countries, and as far away as Puer ...

, ''Acridotheres javanicus'' *

Pale-bellied myna The pale-bellied myna (''Acridotheres cinereus'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to the southwestern peninsula of Sulawesi (south from Ranteapo), Indonesia. It has been introduced to Tawau, Sabah (Borneo). Taxo ...

, ''Acridotheres cinereus'' *

Jungle myna The jungle myna (''Acridotheres fuscus'') is a myna, a member of the starling family. It is found patchily distributed across much of the mainland of the Indian Subcontinent but absent in the arid zones of India. It is easily recognized by the t ...

, ''Acridotheres fuscus'' * Collared myna, ''Acridotheres albocinctus'' *

Bank myna The bank myna (''Acridotheres ginginianus'') is a myna found in the northern parts of South Asia. It is smaller but similar in colouration to the common myna, only differing in having brick-red naked skin behind the eyes instead of yellow. It is ...

, ''Acridotheres ginginianus'' *

Common myna The common myna or Indian myna (''Acridotheres tristis''), sometimes spelled mynah, is a bird in the Family (biology), family Sturnidae, native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the common myna has ada ...

, ''Acridotheres tristis'' *

Black-winged myna The black-winged myna (''Acridotheres melanopterus'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. The species is also known as the black-winged starling or the white-breasted starling. It is Endemism, endemic to Indonesia. There are three ...

, ''Acridotheres melanopterus'' *

Burmese myna The Burmese myna (''Acridotheres burmannicus'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Myanmar and Yunnan, China. Taxonomy The Burmese myna was considered conspecific with the vinous-breasted myna The vinous-br ...

, ''Acridotheres burmannicus'' *

Vinous-breasted myna The vinous-breasted myna or vinous-breasted starling (''Acridotheres leucocephalus'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic o ...

, ''Acridotheres leucocephalus'' Two other species, the

red-billed starling The red-billed starling (''Spodiopsar sericeus'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in south and southeastern China. Taxonomy The red-billed starling was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Fri ...

(''Spodiopsar sericeus'') and the

white-cheeked starling The white-cheeked starling or grey starling (''Spodiopsar cineraceus'') is a passerine bird of the starling family. It is native to eastern Asia where it is a common and well-known bird in much of its range. Taxonomy The white-cheeked starling wa ...

(''Spodiopsar cineraceus''), are likely basal in the group and may be closer to ''

''. The placement of the

white-faced starling The white-faced starling (''Sturnornis albofrontatus'') is a member of the starling family of birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Taxonomy The white-faced starling was formally described in 1854 by the English naturalist Edga ...

(''Sturornis albofrontatus'') is more obscure, though it is generally not described as being closely related to the ''Acridotheres'' mynas.

References

* Feare, Chris & Craig, Adrian (1999): ''Starlings and Mynas''. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-7136-3961-X * Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol, Inskipp, Tim & Byers, Clive (1999): ''Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives''. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.. * Jønsson, Knud A. & Fjeldså, Jon (2006): A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds (Aves: Passeri). '' Zool. Scripta'' 35(2): 149–186. (HTML abstract) * Zuccon, Dario; Cibois, Anne; Pasquet, Eric & Ericson, Per G.P. (2006): Nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data reveal the major lineages of starlings, mynas and related taxa. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 41(2): 333–344. (HTML abstract) {{Taxonbar, from=Q136358 Bird genera Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot