Origin and History
The Sturnidae, or starling, family of birds is where mynah birds are found. This bird, a species of softbill, is indigenous to Indonesia, southeast Asia, India, and Africa. It was extensively introduced and is currently found in the wild throughout most of the world. In ancient Greece, the mynah bird was an aristocractic pet.
The Sanskrit word madana, which means “delightful and fun-loving,” and the Hindu word maina are the sources of the word mynah. The bird goes by a number of names in Indian literature, including peetanetra (one with yellow eyes), chitranetra (one with picturesque eyes), kalahapriya (one who enjoys arguments), and peetapaad (one with yellow legs).
The hill mynah and the common mynah are the two primary varieties of mynah birds kept as pets. The variety of mynah that most Western pet owners obtain is the hill mynah, which has the ability to “speak” like a human. The common mynah is one of the world’s most invasive bird species and is frequently regarded as a pest. It was introduced into non-native habitats to help curb insects. Although the bird was effective at killing bugs, the territorial common mynah regularly drove out native birds and reduced their food source.
The third type, the Bali mynah, is an uncommon and extremely endangered species. Fewer than 100 Bali mynahs exist in the wild.
Speech and Vocalizations
If you decide to keep a mynah bird as a pet, be aware that it will do more than just mimic your speech. These birds can make a variety of vocalizations, such as screeching, whistling, and other strangely human-sounding sounds.
Common and hill mynahs are well known for their ability to mimic human speech. They can learn up to 100 words. Repetition and patience are the keys to teaching your bird to communicate. Select the word or phrase you want it to learn, say it aloud, and repeat it several times.
Behaviour edit Calls In
Common mynas are believed to pair for life. Depending on the region, they breed for a large portion of the year, creating their nests in holes in walls or trees. In the Himalayas, they breed between 3,000 and 9,843 feet (0,847 meters). [13].
The normal clutch size is 46 eggs. The average size of the egg is 30. 8 by 21. 99 millimetres (1+1?4 in × 3?4 in). There is a 1718 day incubation period and a 2224 day fledging period. [13] This species can occasionally be brood parasitized by the Asian koel. [26] Common mynas use twigs, roots, leaves, and trash as nesting material. It has been observed that common mynas use sloughed off snakeskin, tin foil, and tissue paper. [13].
The daily activity-time budget of the common myna in Pune from April to June of 2019 has been documented to include the following during the breeding season: nesting activity (42%), scanning the environment (28%), locomotion (12%), feeding (4%), vocalization (7%), and preening-related activities, interactions, and other activities (7%). [27].
The common myna uses the nests of woodpeckers, parakeets, etc. and readily adapts to nest boxes; it has even been observed removing the chicks from pairs that have already nested by holding them in its beak and occasionally not even using the emptied nest boxes afterwards. Its success as an invasive species is partly attributed to its aggressive behavior. [28].
Additionally, some data suggests that, in contrast to native species, the species prefers to nest in more artificially constructed and modified structures in introduced environments rather than in naturally occurring tree cavities. [29].
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