Common Hill Myna

Commonly referred to by the latter two names, the hill myna (Gracula religiosa), also known as the myna bird or the hill myna (also spelled “mynah”), is the most frequently spotted myna in aviculture. It belongs to the family of starlings (Sturnidae), which is found in Southeast and South Asian highland regions.

One common talking bird is the hill myna. Its particular namereligiosa might make reference to the custom of training mynas to recite prayers.

This myna is a stocky, jet-black creature with fleshy wattles on the nape and side of its head, and brilliant orange-yellow areas of bare skin. It is slightly longer than a typical myna, measuring about 29 centimeters.

Its black plumage is generally green-glossed, with purple undertones on the head and neck. The bird’s big, white wing patches are visible when it is in flight, but they are mostly hidden when it is perched. There are yellow wattles on the nape and under the eyes, and the bill and powerful legs are a brilliant yellow color. These are clearly different in shape from the typical myna and bank myna eye-patch.

The loud, harsh whistles of the common hill myna, followed by other cries, are commonly used to identify it. It is found in tiny groups in forest clearings high in the canopy, and it is most noisy at dawn and dusk.

Almost completely arboreal, this myna moves in noisy, bulky groups of six or more in the tops of trees on the edge of the forest. Unlike other mynas, which have a typical jaunty gait, this one jumps sideways along the branch. The hill myna is largely omnivorous, like most starlings, consuming fruit, nectar, and insects.