Jungle Myna

Overview

The jungle myna, Acridotheres fuscus, is a common resident bird in tropical southern Asia that has also established populations in various Pacific islands and elsewhere through introduction. It is a member of the starling family and is widely distributed across the mainland of the Indian Subcontinent, excluding arid zones.

Identification

• A 23-centimetre long bird with grey plumage, darker on the head and wings, featuring a distinctive frontal crest or tuft of feathers on the forehead.
• Bright yellow bill and legs, with the base of the bill dark; eyes are pale, yellow, or blue depending on the population, lacking the bare skin around the eyes seen in other mynas.
• Large white wing patches on the base of the primaries and broad white tail tips become conspicuous in flight; juveniles are browner with a pale throat.
• Higher-pitched calls than the common myna, with foraging flocks making clipped cheeping contact calls.

Habitat

Typically found in forests, cultivation areas, and close to open water across tropical southern Asia, including Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. The species has also spread to islands such as Fiji, Taiwan, and parts of Japan, where it is sometimes kept as a pet or has established feral populations.

Diet

Omnivorous, feeding mainly on insects, fruit, and seeds by foraging on the ground, often in mixed flocks. They also consume berries from low bushes, nectar from large tree flowers, and occasionally larger prey like small mice, while sometimes following ploughs in agricultural fields.

Did you know?

Jungle mynas have been observed using millipedes for anting, a behaviour that may involve bathing in the insect's chemical secretions to control parasites or clean their feathers.