Common Hill Myna
 |
| Common Hill Myna |
Introduction of Common Hill Myna
The Common Hill Myna (Scientific Name : Gracula religiosa), is a member of the starling family (Sturnidae) and belongs to the Order Passeriformes. It is one of the most famous songbird that can mimics and Its ability to mimic human speech, bird calls, and of other sounds has made this bird more demanded. It is sometimes spelled "mynah" also. Life span is 8-15 years.How to identify Common Hill Myna
The Common Hill myna averages 27-30 cm in length somewhat larger than the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis). It has a glossy black feathers with bright orange-yellow patches of naked skin and fleshy wattles on the side of its head and nape. The tail is polished turquoise. The wings are black with a white patch on primaries 3-9 which are obvious in flight but mostly covered when the bird is sitting. Bill is red that fades into a yellow hooked tip and fleshy wattles, or flaps of bare skin, that extend out to the middle of the nape. legs are bright yellow in color. Males and females look alike. Juveniles have a duller bill.Subspecies of Common Hill Myna
The Common Hill Myna has six subspecies which differ only slightly. They are:
Andaman Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa andamanensis)
Range: Andaman Islands, Central group of the Nicobar Islands
Identification mark: Have two large naked lappets joined at the back of the neck at the top end, leaving no feathered portion in between.
Great Nicobar Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa halibrecta)
Range: Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar and adjacent islets in the Nicobar Islands Unlikely to be distinct from the Andaman Hill Myna (G. r. andamanensis)
Greater Indian Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa intermedia; Northern Race)
Range: Northern India, southern China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, northern and central Thailand
Identification mark: Averages 10 to 11.5 inches in length (including the tail). The eye and nape patches are joined.
Palawan Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa palawanensis)
Found in Philippines.
Identification mark: Averages 12 to 13 inches in length (including tail). The bare skin patches below and behind the eye are separated and the wattles on the back of the nape are slightly separated. Slightly smaller than the nominate species (G. r. religiosa) and the bill is shorter but deep. There is very little white on the outer margin of the 3rd primaries (longest wing feathers) of the flight feathers.
Greater Indian Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa peninsularis)
Range: Northern India to the north-east of the Deccan, particularly in Orissa, and also in eastern Madhya Pradesh and northern Andhra Pradesh
Identification mark: Usually a little smaller than the Greater Indian Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa intermedia ; Northern race). Also has a shorter and finer bill.
Enggano Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa enggano)
Range: Originally from Enggano Island, west of southern tip of Sumatra
Identification mark: Approx. length 10 1/2 inches. The feathers on the sides of forehead are larger and directed upwards to form tufts at the base of the upper mandible. Also has a shorter stubbier bill.
Beside the above six sub-species of Common Hill Myna, there are two other species which were formerly included ; now considered as a distinct species. Those are
Ceylon Hill Myna or Sri Lanka Myna ( Gracula ptilogenys or Gracula religiosa ptilogenys)
Range: Southwestern Sri Lanka.
Identification mark: It is the smallest of the Hill Mynahs which is approximately 8 1/2 inches in length. It lacks wattles on sides of face but does have wattles on neck.
Southern Hill or Lesser Hill Myna (Gracula indica or Gracula religiosa indica)
Range: South-west India and Sri Lanka
Identification mark: It averages 9 to 10 inches in length, including its tail. The eye and nape patches are not joined and the back wattle patches curve around up toward the crown in a U shape. This myna has a slightly narrower beak than the Greater Hill Mynahs.
Habits and Habitats
The Common Hill myna is found from Kumaon division in India,Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, the lower Himalayas, terai and foothills between 300 and 2000 m. high and Nepal, Bhutan and also at sea level . It prefers areas where rainfall and humidity are both high, therefore inhabiting most of the jungles, evergreen, and wet deciduous forests in its range. The myna is common at forest edges, clearings or thinned areas, and cultivated areas.This myna is almost entirely arboreal, moving in large noisy groups of half a dozen or so, in tree-tops at the edge of the forest. The Common Hill myna is almost completely arboreal. It prefers perching on the highest point of an exposed dead branch . Unlike other mynas and starlings that walk, it hops sideways along the branch.
call
The call of common hill myna is loud, shrill, descending whistles followed by other calls. They are most vocal at dawn and dusk.
Both sexes can produce an extraordinarily wide range of loud calls – whistles, wails, screeches, and gurgles, sometimes melodious and often like human. Each individual has a repertoire of 3 to 13 such call types, which may be shared with some near neighbours of the same sex. Call of this Common Hill Myna changes with distance, such that birds living more than 15 km apart have no call-types in common with one another.
Food
Hill Myna is fairly omnivorous.They feed on ripened fruit, especially figs. Figs are eaten most frequently. They also eat berries and seeds from a wide variety of trees and shrubs, and nectar from several kinds of flowers. Most of the insects eaten are gleaned from trees, but it has been known to catch winged termites in the air . They may also eat a small lizard or other small mammal to feed to their babies during breeding season
No comments