Jungle myna

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Jungle myna
Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) on Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) in Kolkata I IMG 1340.jpg
A. f. fuscus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Acridotheres
Species:
A. fuscus
Binomial name
Acridotheres fuscus
(Wagler, 1827) [2]
Subspecies
  • A. f. fuscus(Wagler, 1827)
  • A. f. fumidusRipley, 1950
  • A. f. mahrattensis(Sykes, 1832)
  • A. f. torquatusDavison, 1892
Synonyms
  • Aethiopsar fuscus
  • Maina cristelloidesHodgson, 1836 [3]
  • Acridotheres cristatelloidesCabanis, 1850 [4]

The jungle myna (Acridotheres fuscus) 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.

Contents

Description

 
 
 
 

A. cinereus

 

A. fuscus

A. javanicus

 

A. albocinctus

 

A. cristatellus

A. grandis

 

A. melanopterus

A. burmannicus

 

A. ginginianus

A. tristis

Relationship to other Acridotheres species which form a clade among the starlings [5]

Jungle mynas are 23-centimetre (9.1 in) long and have grey plumage, darker on the head and wings. The sexes are indistinguishable in plumage. A large white wing patches on the base of the primaries becomes conspicuous in flight, and the tail feathers are broadly tipped in white. There is a tuft of feathers on the forehead arising at the base of the bill. The bill and legs are bright yellow, and there is no bare skin around eye as in the common myna and the bank myna. The base of the beak is dark in adults with a shade of blue at the base of the lower mandible. The southern Indian population has a blue iris. The northeastern Indian populations have a smoky dark belly and vent. Juveniles are browner with a pale throat and along the median of the underside. [6]

Abnormal leucistic plumages have been recorded. [7]

A. f. mahrattensis with blue iris Acridotheres fuscus south.jpg
A. f. mahrattensis with blue iris

The calls of the jungle myna are higher pitched than those of the common myna. [8] Foraging flocks make clipped cheeping contact calls. [6]

The jungle myna is part of the Acridotheres clade which is thought to have speciated in the late Pliocene and Pleistocene Periods. Unlike the starlings in the genus Sturnus, they do not have well-developed adaptations including the musculature required for prying or open bill probing (which need muscles to open the beak apart forcefully). [5] The nominate population A. f. fuscus was described from Bengal by Wagler as Pastor fuscus in 1827. It has a pale creamy vent. This population with a yellow iris extends south of the Brahmaputra into Burma and the Malay Peninsula. A. f. fumidus of eastern India, mainly east of the Brahmaputra in Assam and Nagaland (although movements are known), [9] was described by Sidney Dillon Ripley in 1950, although he placed it as a subspecies of cristatellus based on the prevailing treatment of the time. [10] [11] It has a darker smoky grey vent and can appear similar to the syntopic great myna, but the latter is darker and does not have a pale iris.. The peninsular Indian population mahrattensis described by W.H. Sykes in 1832 is identifiable by the blue iris. [12] [13] The population in the Malay Peninsula, torquatus, was described by W.R. Davison in 1892. It has a white throat and a half-collar extending around the neck. [14] The species has a diploid chromosome number of 74 (80 in the common myna). [15]

Distribution and habitat

The white of the base of the primaries and the tips of the tail are visible in flight Jungle Myna- Taking off I3 IMG 2369 (cropped).jpg
The white of the base of the primaries and the tips of the tail are visible in flight

The jungle myna is a common resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from Nepal, Bangladesh, India. Subspecies fuscus is found across northern India west from Mount Abu, east to Puri in Orissa. [16] It has also been introduced into the Andaman Islands and Fiji where it was introduced around 1890 to control insect pests in sugarcane. [17] They have expanded on their own into some Pacific Islands such as Niuafo'ou where they are a threat to native bird species such as lories ( Vini ) with whom they compete especially for nest holes. [18] In many parts of Asia, they are kept as pets and feral populations have established in many places such as in Taiwan. [19] Breeding populations have established in Japan [20] and Western Samoa. [21] The population torquatus of Malaysia is on the decline and is possibly being outcompeted by Javan mynas with which it form hybrids. [22]

This common passerine is typically found in forest and cultivation and often close to open water. They may disperse outside their range particularly after the breeding season. [23]

Behaviour and ecology

Foraging while perched on a water buffalo along with a black drongo in West Bengal Jungle Mynas- Looking for insects on a buffalo's back with a Black Drongo I Picture 278.jpg
Foraging while perched on a water buffalo along with a black drongo in West Bengal

Jungle mynas are omnivorous feed mainly on insects, fruit and seeds, for which they forage mainly on the ground often in the company of other myna species. They also take berries from low bushes such as Lantana and take nectar from large flowers borne on trees such as Erythrina (which they may also pollinate with their tuft feathers acting as brushes) and water collected in the flowers of introduced trees such Spathodea campanulata . [24] [25] They also perch on large grazing mammals, picking ectoparasites off their bodies, [26] and capturing insects that may be disturbed into flight from vegetation. Flocks may also follow farmers in fields that are being ploughed. They also forage on kitchen waste in urban areas. [27] They may take larger prey including small mice to feed their young. [28] In Fiji, they have been noticed anting using a millipede. [29] [30]

The breeding season is in summer and before the rains, February to May in southern India and April to July in northern India. [31] They are secondary cavity nesters, using both holes in trees and in man-made constructions such as walls, embankments, and in houses from 2 to 6 metres above the ground. As secondary tree hole nesters, they compete with other hole-nesters. [32] They have also been recorded using the axils of fronds of palm trees in Malaysia. [22] They sometimes use sloughed snake skins to line the inside of the nest hole. [33] In the Himalayan foothills, they use dry pine needles to line the nest. [34] The usual clutch consists of 4 to 6 turquoise blue eggs. Both sexes take part in nest building, incubation and feeding the young. [8]

They roost communally along with other mynas, sometimes in sugarcane fields and reed beds. [8]

Species of Haemoproteus are known from the blood of mynas and they have also been found to host Plasmodium circumflexum when artificially infected in the lab. [35] [36] Other parasites that have been found in the jungle myna include Dorisa aethiopsaris in the intestine. [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starling</span> Family of birds

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus Sturnus, which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas, as well as North America, Hawaii, and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitats with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the common starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific, the common myna is indeed common.

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

The myna is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. 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">Common starling</span> Sturnus vulgaris; medium sized passerine bird native to temperate Europe and western Asia

The common starling, also known as the European starling in North America and simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.

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

The spotless starling is a passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is closely related to the common starling, but has a much more restricted range, confined to the Iberian Peninsula, Northwest Africa, southernmost France, and the islands of Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia. It is largely non-migratory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common myna</span> Bird of the family Sturnidae

The common myna or Indian myna, sometimes spelled mynah, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian koel</span> Species of bird

The Asian koel is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related black-billed koels, and Pacific koels which are sometimes treated as subspecies. The Asian koel like many of its related cuckoo kin is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of crows and other hosts, who raise its young. They are unusual among the cuckoos in being largely frugivorous as adults. The name koel is echoic in origin with several language variants. The bird is a widely used symbol in Indian and Nepali poetry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loten's sunbird</span> Species of bird

Loten's sunbird, also known as the long-billed sunbird or maroon-breasted sunbird, is a sunbird endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Named after Joan Gideon Loten, who was the Dutch governor of colonial Ceylon, it is very similar to the purple sunbird that is found in the same areas and also tends to hover at flowers for nectar, but can be distinguished by the longer bill, the maroon band on the breast and brownish wings. Like other sunbirds, it is also insectivorous and builds characteristic hanging nests.

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

The common hill myna, 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. It is a member of the starling family (Sturnidae), resident in hill regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Sri Lanka hill myna, a former subspecies of G. religiosa, is now generally accepted as a separate species G. ptilogenys. The Enggano hill myna and Nias hill myna are also widely accepted as specifically distinct, and many authors favor treating the southern hill myna from the Nilgiris and elsewhere in the Western Ghats of India as a separate species.

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

The brahminy myna or brahminy starling is a member of the starling family of birds. It is usually seen in pairs or small flocks in open habitats on the plains of the Indian subcontinent.

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

The chestnut-tailed starling, also called grey-headed starling and grey-headed myna is a member of the starling family. It is a resident or partially migratory species found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia. The species name is after the distribution of a former subspecies in the Malabar region. While the chestnut-tailed starling is a winter visitor to peninsular India, the closely related resident breeding population with a white head is now treated as a full species, the Malabar starling.

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

The black drongo is a small Asian passerine bird of the drongo family Dicruridae. It is a common resident breeder in much of tropical southern Asia from southwest Iran through Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to southern China and Indonesia and accidental visitor of Japan. It is an all black bird with a distinctive forked tail and measures 28 cm (11 in) in length. It feeds on insects, and is common in open agricultural areas and light forest throughout its range, perching conspicuously on a bare perch or along power or telephone lines.

<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.

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

The Javan myna, 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.

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

The Indian pied myna is a species of starling found in the Indian subcontinent. It is usually found in small groups mainly on the plains and low foothills. It is often seen within cities and villages although it is not as bold as the common myna. It produces a range of calls made up of liquid notes.

<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">Bank myna</span> Species of bird

The bank myna is a myna found in the northern parts of South Asia. It is smaller but similar in colouration to the common myna, only differing in having brick-red naked skin behind the eyes instead of yellow. It is greyer on the underside and in this and in the presence of a slight tuft of feathers bears some resemblance to the jungle myna. They are found in flocks on the plains of northern and central India, often within towns and cities. Their range appears to be extending southwards into India. The name is derived from their habit of nesting almost exclusively in the earthen banks of rivers, where they excavate burrows and breed in large colonies.

<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">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">Black-collared starling</span> Species of bird

The black-collared starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. Its plumage is black and white, with a black collar. It is found in southern China and most of mainland Southeast Asia, and has been introduced to Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. Its habitats include grassland, dry forest and human settlements. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as being of least concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian jungle crow</span> Species of bird

The Indian jungle crow is a species of crow found across the Indian Subcontinent south of the Himalayas. It is very common and readily distinguished from the house crow, which has a grey neck. In the past the species was treated as a subspecies of another crow species, but vocalizations and evidence from ectoparasite co-evolution and phylogenetic evidence have led to it being considered as a distinct species in modern taxonomic treatments. It differs in its voice from the large-billed crow found in the higher elevations of the Himalayas and the eastern jungle crow overlaps in the eastern part of its range. In appearance, it can be difficult to distinguish from either of these species although the plumage tends to be more uniformly glossed in purple and has a longer bill with a fine tip and a less arched culmen. The Himalayan species has a slightly wedge-shaped tail, unlike the rounded tail of the Indian jungle crow and tends to glide a lot.

References

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  2. ↑ Wagler, Johann Georg (1827). Systema Avium. Pars I. Vol. pars 1. sumtibus J.G. Cottae. p. 88.
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  4. ↑ Sharpe, R. Bowdler (1890). Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Vol. 13. London: British Museum (Natural History). pp. 86–90.
  5. 1 2 Zuccon, D.; Pasquet, E.; Ericson, P. G. P. (2008). "Phylogenetic relationships among Palearctic–Oriental starlings and mynas (genera Sturnus and Acridotheres : Sturnidae)" (PDF). Zoologica Scripta. 37 (5): 469–481. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2008.00339.x. S2CID   56403448.
  6. 1 2 Rasmussen, P.C.; Anderton, J.C. (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volume 2: Attributes and status. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. p. 584.
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  9. ↑ Chatterjee, S.; Sen, S.K.; Ghose, D. (2007). "Range Extension of Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus fumidus". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 104 (1).
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  14. ↑ Davison, W.R. (1892). "Descriptions of some new species of birds from the eastern coast of the Malayan Peninsula". Ibis. 6. 4 (13): 99–103. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1892.tb01189.x.
  15. ↑ Sharma, G.P.; Mittal, O.P.; Gupta, N. (1980). "Somatic chromosomes of Acridotheres fuscus fuscus Wagler and Acridotheres tristis tristis Linnaeus". Cytologia. 45 (3): 403–410. doi: 10.1508/cytologia.45.403 .
  16. ↑ Majumdar, N (1981). "Extension of range of the Indian Maroonbreasted sunbird, Nectarinia lotenia hindustanica (Whistler) [Aves, Nectariniidae], and the Northern Jungle Myna, Acridotheres fuscus fuscus (Wagler) [Aves, Sturnidae]". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 78 (2): 383–384.
  17. ↑ Pernetta, John C.; Watling, D. (1978). "The introduced and native terrestrial vertebrates of Fiji" (PDF). Pacific Science. 32 (3): 223–244.
  18. ↑ Rinke, Dieter (1986). "The status of wildlife in Tonga". Oryx. 20 (3): 146–151. doi: 10.1017/S0030605300019980 . ISSN   1365-3008.
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  22. 1 2 Wells, David R. (2010). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Volume 2. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 457–459.
  23. ↑ Dhindsa, Manjit S; Singhal, R.N. (1983). "Occurrence of the Northern Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus Wagler in the Punjab and Haryana". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 80 (2): 416–417.
  24. ↑ Watling, R.J. (1975). "Observations on the ecological separation of two introduced congeneric mynahs (Acridotheres) in Fiji" (PDF). Notornis. 22 (1): 37–53.
  25. ↑ Raju, Aluri J. S.; Rao, S.P. (2004). "Passerine bird pollination and fruiting behaviour in a dry season blooming tree species, Erythrina suberosa Roxb. (Fabaceae) in the Eastern Ghats forests, India". Ornithological Science. 3 (2): 139–144. doi: 10.2326/osj.3.139 .
  26. ↑ Sazima, Ivan (2011). "Cleaner birds: a worldwide overview" (PDF). Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia. 19 (1): 32–47. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
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  28. ↑ Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1979). "A note on the predation of Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus Wagler) on field mouse". Journal of the Bombay Natural Historical Society. 76: 159.
  29. ↑ Clunie, F. (1976). "Jungle Mynah "anting" with a millipede" (PDF). Notornis. 23: 77.
  30. ↑ Neelakantan, K.K. (1974). "Jungle Mynas Acridotheres fuscus anting". Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 14 (5): 8–9.
  31. ↑ Baker, E.C.S. (1926). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume III (2 ed.). Lonon: Taylor and Francis. pp.  57–58.
  32. ↑ Jha, Aniruddha (2001). "Competition between jungle myna Acridotheres fuscus and lesser golden backed woodpecker Dinopium benghalense for a nest hole". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 98: 115.
  33. ↑ Unnithan, Saraswathy; Unnithan, G.V.K. (1998). "Breeding of the southern jungle myna Acridotheres fuscus mahrattensis (Sykes) at Karanja". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 95: 346.
  34. ↑ Mukherjee, RN (1970). "Jungle Mynas and their nests". Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 10 (10): 11.
  35. ↑ Laird, Marshall; Lari, Faiyaz A. (1958). "Observations on Plasmodium circumflexum Kikuth and P. vaughani Novy and Macneal from East Pakistan". The Journal of Parasitology. 44 (2): 136–152. doi:10.2307/3274690. JSTOR   3274690.
  36. ↑ Ishtiaq, Farah; Gering, Eben; Rappole, Jon H.; Rahmani, Asad R.; Jhala, Yadvendradev V.; Dove, Carla J.; Milensky, Chris; Olson, Storrs L.; Peirce, Mike A. (2007). "Prevalence and diversity of avian hematozoan parasites in Asia: a regional survey". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 43 (3): 382–398. doi: 10.7589/0090-3558-43.3.382 . ISSN   0090-3558. PMID   17699077.
  37. ↑ Das, A.K.; Mandal, A.K.; Nandi, N.C.; Nandi, R.; Sarkar, N.C. (1993). "Parasitic Protozoa". Fauna of West Bengal. Part 12. Protozoa. Zoological Survey of India. p.  334.
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