Javan myna

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Javan myna
Acridotheres javanicus - Kent Ridge Park.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Acridotheres
Species:
A. javanicus
Binomial name
Acridotheres javanicus
Cabanis, 1851

The Javan myna (Acridotheres javanicus), also known as the white-vented myna, is a species of myna. It is a member of the starling family. It is native to Bali and Java. It has been introduced to other Asian countries, and as far away as Puerto Rico.

Contents

Taxonomy

The Javan myna is sometimes included in the great myna (Acridotheres grandis) or the jungle myna (A. fuscus). The International Ornithologists' Union recommends not using the name "white-vented myna" to avoid confusion with the Pale-bellied Myna A. cinereus. [2]

Description

Javan myna in flight, showing the distinctive white wing and tail bars Javan myna in flight - Flickr - Lip Kee.jpg
Javan myna in flight, showing the distinctive white wing and tail bars

The Javan myna is mainly black. The wings are brownish-black, and the primaries have white bases, displayed in flight as a striking white wing bar, along a white tail bar. The undertail-coverts are white. There is a short crest on the forehead. Its beak, legs and feet are yellow. The eyes are lemon-yellow. The immature is browner. Its length is 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in). [3] Its weight is about 100 g (3.5 oz). [4]

Javan mynas feeding on the streets of Singapore. Video clip

Habitat

The Javan myna is native to Bali and Java, and has been introduced to southeastern Thailand, southern Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, the Lesser Sundas, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Japan and Nepal. [4] It is found in cities and cultivated areas. [3]

Behaviour

The Javan myna is omnivorous and eats seeds, fruit, nectar, insects and human waste. It is often found in large groups. Its voice is similar to that of the common myna. It builds its nest in holes. The eggs are bluish-glaucous. Javan mynas are bold and not very afraid of humans. [3] Javan mynas are kept in cages in Malaysia and Indonesia. [3] The birds scavenge in groups, minimum two but usually three or more, with all except one feeding and one usually at a vantage point keeping a look out. If the bird that is keeping watch sees anything that might pose a threat, it alarms the group members with a high pitch tweet and they all flee the area swiftly.[ citation needed ] If one of them is separated, they would tend to tweet to attract other mynas of their kind to come over.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myna</span> Various birds of the starling family

The mynas are a group of birds in the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jungle myna</span> Species of bird

The jungle myna is a myna, a member of the starling family. It is found patchily distributed across much of the mainland of the Indian Subcontinent but absent in the arid zones of India. It is easily recognized by the tuft of feathers on its forehead that form a frontal crest, a feature also found in the closely related Javan myna and the pale-bellied myna which were treated as a subspecies in the past. The eyes are pale, yellow or blue depending on the population and the base of the orange-yellow bill is dark. It has also been introduced either intentionally or accidentally into many other parts of the world including Fiji, Taiwan, the Andaman Islands, and parts of Japan. The species has also spread out on its own to some islands in the Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bali myna</span> Species of bird in Indonesia

The Bali myna, also known as Rothschild's mynah, Bali starling, or Bali mynah, locally known as jalak Bali, is a medium-sized, stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes, greyish legs and a yellow bill. Both sexes are similar. It is critically endangered and in 2020, fewer than 50 adults were assumed to exist in the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested myna</span> Species of bird

The crested myna, also known as the Chinese starling, is a species of starling in the genus Acridotheres native to southeastern China and Indochina. It is named after the tuft of feathers on its forehead that resembles a crest.

<i>Acridotheres</i> Genus of birds

Acridotheres is a genus of starlings, the "typical" mynas, which are tropical members of the family Sturnidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-cheeked starling</span> Species of bird

The white-cheeked starling or grey starling is a passerine bird of the starling family. It is native to eastern Asia where it is a common and well-known bird in much of its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-bellied myna</span> Species of bird

The pale-bellied myna is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to the southwestern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It has been introduced to Tawau, Sabah (Borneo).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great myna</span> Species of bird

The great myna, also known as the white-vented myna, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Northeast India, through Bangladesh to Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-winged myna</span> Species of bird

The black-winged myna is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. The species is also known as the black-winged starling or the white-breasted starling. It is endemic to Indonesia. There are three recognised subspecies: the nominate race, which occurs across much of the island of Java; tricolor, which is restricted to south east Java; and tertius, which is found on Bali and possibly Lombok. The validity of the records on Lombok has been called into question, as there are only a few records and those may represent escapees from the caged-bird trade or natural vagrants. The species has often been assigned to the starling genus Sturnus, but is now placed in Acridotheres because it is behaviourally and vocally closer to the birds in that genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded broadbill</span> Species of bird from Southeast Asia

The banded broadbill is a species of bird in the typical broadbill family Eurylaimidae found in Mainland Southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands. It is sometimes split into two species, one including only the nominate subspecies, E. j. javanicus, and one including all the remaining subspecies. It inhabits a variety of forests, along with forest edge, rubber plantations and Falcataria falcata groves, mainly in lowland areas. A striking, large-bodied bird with a length of 21.5–23.0 cm (8.5–9.1 in), it is unlikely to be mistaken for another species. The broadbill is mostly purplish-red, with yellow-streaked black wings, a bright blue beak, a blackish face and greyish chin and upper breast. Females can be told apart from males by their lack of a black neckband, although these are indistinct in Bornean and Javan males. Despite its conspicuous appearance, the bird is usually hard to see due to its sluggishness and is usually only noticed when it vocalises.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2020). "Acridotheres javanicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T103871334A176499647. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T103871334A176499647.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Tasirin, Johny S.; Fitzsimons, James A. (2014). "Javan (White-vented) Myna Acridotheres javanicus and Pale-bellied Myna A. cinereus in North Sulawesi". Kukila. 18 (1): 27–31. hdl:10536/DRO/DU:30072161.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Craig, Adrian; Feare, Chris (2010). Starlings and Mynas. A&C Black. pp. 151–152. ISBN   9781408135228.
  4. 1 2 "White-vented Myna (Acridotheres javanicus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Retrieved 4 October 2016.