Javan Myna
Encyclopedia
The Javan Myna also known as the White-vented Myna and the Buffalo Myna, is a myna
, a member of the Starling
family.
It is a successful species in much of South East Asia and has penetrated into India and neighbouring regions.
It is conspecific, and thought to be in competition with the Common or Indian Myna (A. tristis) in some of its range (for example, India
, Malaysia and Singapore
).
The Javan Myna has an extremely liquid voice and, like the European starling, incorporates imitation into its repertoire (though it is not able to imitate the human voice, like the Hill Myna
Gracula religiosa).
The Javan Myna is predominantly black, with a white vent, a white wing patch, white on the underside of the tail, and has a thick yellow eye ring, legs and beak. It sometimes has grey (white) flecking on its belly. It can raise the feathers on its forehead into a dramatic crest.
Like other Sturnids it is omnivorous, roosts in colonies and is abundantly successful in a variety of habitats. Javan Mynas are as accomplished in cities as they are in padi fields, where they will prey on insects disturbed by water buffalo, often riding the buffalo like the related oxpecker
.
There is some confusion over naming between A. grandis and A. javanicus, which was until recently considered a subspecies
of the Pale-bellied Myna, A. cinereus.
It lays 2-6 eggs. Javan Myna can live 8 to 20 years. It eats ants, worms, fruits, human feeds,insects and grains.
Myna
The myna is a bird of the starling family . This is a group of passerine birds which occur naturally only in southern and eastern Asia...
, a member of the Starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
family.
It is a successful species in much of South East Asia and has penetrated into India and neighbouring regions.
It is conspecific, and thought to be in competition with the Common or Indian Myna (A. tristis) in some of its range (for example, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Malaysia and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
).
The Javan Myna has an extremely liquid voice and, like the European starling, incorporates imitation into its repertoire (though it is not able to imitate the human voice, like the Hill Myna
Hill Myna
The Common Hill Myna , sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as "Hill Myna", is the myna bird most commonly seen in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is a member of the starling family , resident in hill regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia...
Gracula religiosa).
The Javan Myna is predominantly black, with a white vent, a white wing patch, white on the underside of the tail, and has a thick yellow eye ring, legs and beak. It sometimes has grey (white) flecking on its belly. It can raise the feathers on its forehead into a dramatic crest.
Like other Sturnids it is omnivorous, roosts in colonies and is abundantly successful in a variety of habitats. Javan Mynas are as accomplished in cities as they are in padi fields, where they will prey on insects disturbed by water buffalo, often riding the buffalo like the related oxpecker
Oxpecker
The oxpeckers are two species of bird which make up the family Buphagidae. Some ornithologists regard them as a subfamily Buphaginae within the starling family Sturnidae but they appear to be quite distinct. Oxpeckers are endemic to the savanna of Sub-Saharan Africa...
.
There is some confusion over naming between A. grandis and A. javanicus, which was until recently considered a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Pale-bellied Myna, A. cinereus.
It lays 2-6 eggs. Javan Myna can live 8 to 20 years. It eats ants, worms, fruits, human feeds,insects and grains.