Myna
Encyclopedia
- Distinguish from genus ManorinaManorinaManorina is a genus of Australian endemic honeyeaters, containing four species: the Black-eared Miner, M. melanotis, the Yellow-throated Miner, M. flavigula, the Noisy Miner, M. melanocephala, and the Bell Miner, M. melanophrys...
(Australian Miners), genus GeosittaGeosittaGeositta is a genus of passerine birds in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. They are known as miners due to the tunnels they dig for nesting. There are 11 species including the Campo Miner which was formerly classified in a genus of its own, Geobates...
(South American Miners), minerMinerA miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
and minorMinorMinor means "not important", and in Latin "smaller". It may also refer to:* an underage child, see Minor * Academic minor, a secondary focus of a Bachelor's degree, the primary focus being an academic major-Mathematics:...
.
The myna is a bird 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
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s which occur naturally only in southern and eastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Several species have been introduced to areas like North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, South Africa and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, especially the Common Myna
Common Myna
The Common Myna or Indian Myna also sometimes spelled Mynah, is a member of family Sturnidae native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments...
which is often regarded as an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
.
Mynas are not a natural group (Zuccon et al. 2006); instead, the term myna is used for any starling in 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...
and surrounding areas, regardless of their relationships. This range was colonized twice during the evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of starlings, first by rather ancestral starlings related to the Coleto
Coleto
The Coleto is a starling species in the monotypic genus Sarcops. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife International...
and Aplonis
Aplonis
Aplonis is a genus of starlings. These are essentially island species of Indonesia, Oceania and Australasia, although some species’ ranges extend to the Malay Peninsula, southern Vietnam and northeastern Queensland. The typical adult Aplonis starling is fairly uniformly plumaged in black, brown or...
lineages, and millions of years later by birds related to the Common Starling and Wattled Starling
Wattled Starling
The Wattled Starling is a nomadic resident in eastern and southern Africa. It is a species of grassland, open woodland and cultivation....
'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 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 Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
language.
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 insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
. Several species live around habitation, and are effectively omnivore
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
s.
Plumage
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
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 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 MynaYellow-faced MynaThe Yellow-faced Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is found in New Guinea and nearby smaller islands....
, Mino dumontii - Golden MynaGolden MynaThe Golden Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Mino anais - Long-tailed MynaLong-tailed MynaThe Long-tailed Myna is a member of the starling family. It is resident in the Bismarck Archipelago and northern Solomon Islands...
, Mino kreffti
- Sulawesi MynaSulawesi MynaThe Sulawesi Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Basilornis celebensis - Helmeted MynaHelmeted MynaThe Helmeted Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and swamps....
, Basilornis galeatus - Long-crested MynaLong-crested MynaThe Long-crested Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Basilornis corythaix - Apo MynaApo MynaThe Apo Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.- References :...
, Basilornis miranda
- White-necked MynaWhite-necked MynaThe White-necked Myna is a large, long-tailed species of starling in the Sturnidae family. Due to its superficial resemblance to a magpie, it has been referred to as the Celebes Magpie or Sulawesi Magpie in the past. It is endemic to forests on Sulawesi and adjacent smaller islands in Indonesia...
, Streptocitta albicollis - Bare-eyed MynaBare-eyed MynaThe Bare-eyed Myna is a large, long-tailed species of starling in the Sturnidae family. Its common name is a reference to the large patch of dark bare skin around the eyes. Due to its superficial resemblance to a magpie, it has been referred to as the Sula Magpie in the past...
, Streptocitta albertinae
- Fiery-browed MynaFiery-browed MynaThe Fiery-browed Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Enodes. It is endemic to humid highland forest on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.-References:...
, Enodes erythrophris
- Finch-billed MynaFinch-billed MynaThe Grosbeak Starling , also known as the Grosbeak Myna, Finch-billed Myna, or Scissor-billed Starling, is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is monotypic in the genus Scissirostrum...
, Scissirostrum dubium
- Golden-crested MynaGolden-crested MynaThe Golden-crested Myna, Ampeliceps coronatus, is a species in the starling and myna family Sturnidae. It ranges from India to Vietnam and northern Malaysia, and has been introduced to the British Indian Ocean Territory. Its main habitat is subtropical and tropical moist lowland forest, but it is...
, Ampeliceps coronatus
- Common Hill Myna, Gracula religiosa
- Southern Hill Myna, Gracula indica
- Enggano MynaEnggano MynaThe Enggano Myna or Enggano Hill Myna is a member of the starling family. It is an endemic resident of Enggano Island, off southwest Sumatra.-Description:...
, Gracula enganensis - Nias MynaNias MynaThe Nias Myna or Nias Hill Myna is a member of the starling family. It is an endemic resident of Nias and other nearby islands off western Sumatra.-Description:...
, Gracula robusta - Sri Lanka MynaSri Lanka MynaThe Sri Lanka Myna, Ceylon Myna or Sri Lanka Hill Myna , is a myna, a member of the starling family. This bird is endemic to Sri Lanka....
, Gracula ptilogenys
"True" mynas
- White-vented MynaWhite-vented MynaThe Great Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is also known as the white vented myna, which is also a name for the Javan Myna....
, Acridotheres grandis - Crested MynaCrested MynaThe Crested Myna is a species of starling native to southeastern China and Indochina. Unlike other similar mynas, its bill is dull whitish rather than orange-yellow....
, Acridotheres cristatellus - Javan MynaJavan MynaThe Javan Myna , also known as the White-vented Myna and the Buffalo Myna, is a myna, a member of the Starling family....
, Acridotheres javanicus - Pale-bellied MynaPale-bellied MynaThe Pale-bellied Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is found in Christmas Island, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Acridotheres cinereus - Jungle MynaJungle MynaThe Jungle Myna, Acridotheres fuscus, is a myna, a member of the starling family.- Range :This bird is a common resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Burma east to Indonesia.- Habitat :...
, Acridotheres fuscus - Collared MynaCollared MynaThe Collared Myna is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in China, India, and Myanmar.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Acridotheres albocinctus - Bank MynaBank MynaBank Myna is a myna found in South Asia. It is smaller but similar in colouration to the Common Myna but differs in having a brick red bare skin behind the eye in place of yellow. It is greyer on the underside and in this and in the presence of a slight tuft of feathers bears some resemblance to...
, Acridotheres ginginianus - Common MynaCommon MynaThe Common Myna or Indian Myna also sometimes spelled Mynah, is a member of family Sturnidae native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments...
, Acridotheres tristis
- Bali Myna, Leucopsar rothschildi
The following species are often included in the Acridotheres mynas:
- Vinous-breasted StarlingVinous-breasted StarlingThe Vinous-breasted Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is sometimes placed in the myna genus Acridotheres.-Distribution and habitat:...
, Acridotheres burmannicus - Asian Pied StarlingAsian Pied StarlingThe Asian Pied Starling or Pied Myna is a species of starling found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are usually found in small groups mainly on the plains and low foothills. They are often seen within cities and villages although they are not as bold as the Common Myna. They...
, Sturnus contra - Black-winged StarlingBlack-winged StarlingThe Black-winged Starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. The species is also known as the Black-winged Myna or the White-breasted Starling. It is endemic to Indonesia...
, Sturnus melanopterus - Red-billed StarlingRed-billed StarlingThe Red-billed Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.-References:...
, Sturnus sericeus - White-cheeked StarlingWhite-cheeked StarlingThe White-cheeked Starling or Grey Starling 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. Usually, it is placed in the genus Sturnus, but sometimes it is united with the typical mynas in Acridotheres...
, Sturnus cineraceus
External links
- Myna videos on the Internet Bird Collection