The mynas (;
also spelled mynah) are a group of
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
in the
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 ...
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). This is a group of
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...
birds which are native to
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 ...
and
Southern Asia, especially
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. Several species have been introduced to areas like
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
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 ...
, especially 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 ...
, which is often regarded as an
invasive species
An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
. It is often known as "Selarang" and "Teck Meng" in Malay and Chinese respectively in Singapore, due to their high population there.
Mynas 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
Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
of starlings, first by rather ancestral starlings related to the
coleto
The coleto (''Sarcops calvus'') is a starling species (family (biology), family Sturnidae) in the monotypic genus ''Sarcops''. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, tropical dry forest, su ...
and ''
Aplonis
''Aplonis'' is a genus of starlings. These are essentially island species of Indonesia and Oceania, although some species' ranges extend to the Malay Peninsula, southern Vietnam and northeastern Queensland. The typical adult ''Aplonis'' starling ...
'' lineages, and millions of years later by birds related to 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
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 ...
's ancestors. These two groups of mynas can be distinguished in the more terrestrial
adaption
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
s of the latter, which usually also have less glossy plumage, except on the heads, and longer tails. The
Bali myna
The Bali myna (''Leucopsar rothschildi''), also known as Rothschild's mynah, Bali starling, or Bali mynah, locally known as jalak Bali, is a medium-sized (up to long), stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tip ...
, which is critically endangered and nearly
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
in the wild, is highly distinctive.
Some mynas are considered
talking bird
Talking birds are birds that can mimic the speech of humans. There is debate within the scientific community over whether some talking parrots also have some cognitive understanding of the language. Birds have varying degrees of talking ability: ...
s, for their ability to reproduce sounds, including human speech, when in captivity.
''Myna'' is derived from the Hindi/Urdu (मैना / ) ''mainā'' which itself is derived from
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
''madanā''.
Characteristics
Mynas are medium-sized passerines with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct, and they are gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat
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, ...
s and
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 ...
.
Plumage
Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...
is typically dark, often brown, although some species have yellow head ornaments. Most species nest in holes.
Some species have become well known for their imitative skills; the
common hill myna
The common hill myna (''Gracula religiosa''), sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as the hill myna or myna bird, is the myna most commonly sighted in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is ...
is one of these.
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
The yellow-faced myna (''Mino dumontii'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in New Guinea and nearby smaller islands, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The long-tailed myna ...
, ''Mino dumontii''
*
Golden myna
The golden myna (''Mino anais'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also ...
, ''Mino anais''
*
Long-tailed myna
The long-tailed myna (''Mino kreffti'') is a member of the starling family. It is native to the Bismarck and Solomon archipelagos. It resembles the yellow-faced myna, and the two were formerly considered conspecific.
Its binomial name commemora ...
, ''Mino kreffti''
*
Sulawesi myna
The Sulawesi myna (''Basilornis celebensis'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Description
The Sulawesi myna grows to a ...
, ''Basilornis celebensis''
*
Helmeted myna
The helmeted myna (''Basilornis galeatus'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Indonesia.
Description
It is black with white spots on its face with a significant helmet-like crest.
Habitat
Its natural habita ...
, ''Basilornis galeatus''
*
Long-crested myna
The long-crested myna (''Basilornis corythaix'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Seram Island.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane fo ...
, ''Basilornis corythaix''
*
Apo myna
The Apo myna (''Goodfellowia miranda'') is a species of starling in the starling family Sturnidae. The species is also known as the Mount Apo starling or the Mount Apo king starling. It is the only member of the genus ''Goodfellowia''. It is e ...
, ''Goodfellowia miranda''
*
White-necked myna
The white-necked myna (''Streptocitta albicollis'') is a large, long-tailed species of starling in the family Sturnidae. Due to its superficial resemblance to a magpie, it has been referred to as the Celebes magpie or Sulawesi magpie in the past ...
, ''Streptocitta albicollis''
*
Bare-eyed myna
The bare-eyed myna (''Streptocitta albertinae'') is a large, long-tailed species of starling in the family Sturnidae. Its common name is a reference to the large patch of dark bare skin around the eyes. Due to its superficial resemblance to a ma ...
, ''Streptocitta albertinae''
*
Fiery-browed myna, ''Enodes erythrophris''
*
Finch-billed myna, ''Scissirostrum dubium''
*
Golden-crested myna
The golden-crested myna (''Ampeliceps coronatus'') is a species in the starling and myna family, Sturnidae. It is found from north-eastern India through Indochina and has been introduced to the British Indian Ocean Territory. Its main habitat is ...
, ''Ampeliceps coronatus''
*
Common hill myna
The common hill myna (''Gracula religiosa''), sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as the hill myna or myna bird, is the myna most commonly sighted in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is ...
, ''Gracula religiosa''
*
Southern hill myna
The southern hill myna (''Gracula indica'') is a member of the starling family. It is a resident of the forested regions of south India and Sri Lanka. This species moves around in flocks in the forest, and members of a flock keep in contact with ...
, ''Gracula indica''
*
Enggano hill myna
The common hill myna (''Gracula religiosa''), sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as the hill myna or myna bird, is the myna most commonly sighted in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is ...
, ''Gracula enganensis''
*
Nias hill myna
The Nias hill myna or Nias myna (''Gracula robusta'') is a member of the starling family. It is an endemic resident of Nias and other nearby islands off western Sumatra. Clements lumps this species with the common hill myna.
Description
This la ...
, ''Gracula robusta''
*
Sri Lanka hill myna
The Sri Lanka hill myna or Ceylon myna (''Gracula ptilogenys'') is a myna, a member of the starling family. This bird is endemic to Sri Lanka.
This passerine is typically found in forest and cultivation. The Sri Lanka myna builds a nest in a hol ...
, ''Gracula ptilogenys''
"True" mynas
*
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''
*
Bali myna
The Bali myna (''Leucopsar rothschildi''), also known as Rothschild's mynah, Bali starling, or Bali mynah, locally known as jalak Bali, is a medium-sized (up to long), stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tip ...
, ''Leucopsar rothschildi''
"Gracupica" mynas
*
Indian pied myna
The Indian pied myna (''Gracupica contra'') is a species of starling found in the Indian subcontinent. It is usually found in small groups mainly on the plains and low foothills. It is often seen within cities and villages although it is not as b ...
, ''Gracupica contra''
*
Siamese pied myna
The Siamese pied myna (''Gracupica floweri'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. Its plumage is black and white, with a black collar. It is found in Myanmar and China to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia
Cambodia, officially t ...
, ''Gracupica floweri''
*
Javan pied myna
The Javan pied myna (''Gracupica jalla'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. Its Indonesian name is . Its plumage is black and white, with a black collar. It was found in most of Java and Bali (but has been potentially extirpated ...
, ''Gracupica jalla''
The following species are often included in the ''Acridotheres'' mynas:
*
Vinous-breasted starling
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 burmannicus''
*
Black-winged starling
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 endemic to Indonesia. There are three recognise ...
, ''Acridotheres melanopterus''
*
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''
*
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''
References
Sources
*
External links
{{Commons category, Sturnidae
Myna videoson the Internet Bird Collection
Recording of a Myna bird in Yogyakarta, Indonesiaon
internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
Sturnidae
Bird common names