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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.
This is a group of passerine birds which are native to Iran and Southern Asia, especially Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Several species have been introduced to areas like North America , Australia , South Africa , Fiji and New Zealand , especially the common myna , which is often regarded as an invasive species .
The common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled mynah, [2] is a bird in the family Sturnidae, native to Asia.An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the common myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments.
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 25 cm (9.8 in) long), stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail.
This bird is famous for its talking abilities and fetches a high price. It is under pressure from trapping for the illegal pet trade and from habitat destruction, since most indigenous forest has been destroyed. In a bird survey of Nias Island in 1990, Dymond failed to find any Nias hill mynas in a 17-day stay.
The hill myna is considered to be one of the best talking birds, often imitating human sounds and voice, better than parrots. [5] It is also bred in captivity for this particularity. The southern hill myna is claimed to be less vocally gifted than the common hill myna, a very similar species whose range does not overlap. [6]
The species has declined, however, for much the same reasons as the Bali myna, principally collection for the caged-bird trade. [5] The black-winged myna is one of the most popular species among collectors; in recent years the number of birds entering the trade has declined as they have become increasingly rare in the wild.
The Acridotheres mynas are generally dark or dull birds with fluted calls like most starlings; the sexes are similar. They walk and hop, and may share adaptations along with the Sturnus starlings that have modifications to the skull and its muscles for open bill probing or prying. [2]