Mynah is a general term given to Indian and Asian members of the Starling Family. They follow an omnivorous diet, foraging on the ground for fruit, invertebrates and the occasional small vertebrate, egg or nestling. Some species are renowned for their ability to mimic sounds, including human speech, and the Hill Mynah is one of the best mimics in the bird kingdom - on par with the African Grey Parrot. Mynahs nest in tree cavities, aggressively defending - and even stealing - them from other species. Partnerships are monogamous, and some species are believed to pair for life.
The illustrated species is one of the few birds that I dislike. He is an Indian Mynah, an omnivorous, aggressive bird of the tropics. Native to India, he has been introduced to eastern Australia (where he competes with the native honeyeater, the Noisy Miner, an unrelated bird with a somewhat similar personality and appearance), Florida, Hawaii, South Africa, Madagascar, parts of Eurasia and many of the Islands (Indian, Pacific and Atlantic). Populations also exist in northern New Zealand, where they destroy the eggs and chicks of the native birds. He is considered one of the #100 invasive pests, along with the red-vented bulbul and the starling.
Sadly, when one of my co-workers went to Fiji, I asked her to let me know what birds she saw and the only two species she identified were the Indian Mynah and the Red-vented Bulbul. Both co-exist well with humans.
I will be doing a seperate entry for my favourite mynah - the Rothschild (Bali) Mynah - at a later date.
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