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Myna

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This article is about the bird. For other uses, seeMyna (disambiguation).
This article is about the Asian bird. For the Australian bird, seeManorina.For the South American bird, seeGeositta.
"Myna bird" redirects here. For the bird commonly known as the 'myna bird' in aviculture, seeCommon hill myna.For present-day rock band, seeThe Mynabirds.
"Mynah birds" redirects here. For the 1960s band, seeThe Mynah Birds.

Myna
Common myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Common myna(Acridotheres tristis)
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Suborder: Passeri
Family: Sturnidae

Themynas(/ˈmaɪnə/;also spelledmynah) are a group ofbirdsin thestarlingfamily(Sturnidae). This is a group ofpasserinebirds which are native toIranandSouthern Asia,especiallyAfghanistan,India,Pakistan,Bangladesh,NepalandSri Lanka.Several species have been introduced to areas likeNorth America,Australia,South Africa,FijiandNew Zealand,especially thecommon myna,which is often regarded as aninvasive species.It is often known as "Selarang" and "Teck Meng" in Malay and Chinese respectively in Singapore, due to their high population there.

Mynas are not a natural group;[1]instead, the termmynais used for any starling in the Indian subcontinent, regardless of their relationships. This range was colonized twice during theevolutionof starlings, first by rather ancestral starlings related to thecoletoandAplonislineages, and millions of years later by birds related to thecommon starlingandwattled starling's ancestors. These two groups of mynas can be distinguished in the more terrestrialadaptionsof the latter, which usually also have less glossy plumage, except on the heads, and longer tails. TheBali myna,which is critically endangered and nearlyextinctin the wild, is highly distinctive.

Some mynas are consideredtalking birds,for their ability to reproduce sounds, including human speech, when in captivity.

Mynais derived from theUrdu languageمینا(mainā) which itself is derived fromSanskritmadanā.[2][3]

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 eatinsectsandfruit.

A Common Myna in cage

Plumageis 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; thecommon hill mynais one of these.

Species

The following are species of mynas. The coleto and the twoSaroglossastarlings are included because of their position in the taxonomic list.

Jungle and hill mynas

"True" mynas

"Gracupica" mynas

The following species are often included in theAcridotheresmynas:

References

  1. ^Zuccon et al. 2006.
  2. ^"myna".Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged(11th ed.).RetrievedNovember 22,2012– via CollinsDictionary.com.
  3. ^"myna".New Oxford American Dictionary.

Sources

  • Zuccon, Dario; Cibois, Alice; Pasquet, Eric; Ericson, Per G. P. (2006). "Nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data reveal the major lineages of starlings, mynas and related taxa".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.41(2): 333–344.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.007.PMID16806992.
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