Myna

myna or mynah (both: mī`nə), common name for a type of Asian starling found chiefly in India and Sri Lanka and known for its power of mimicry. Most familiar is the hill myna, Gracula religiosa, a large (12–15 in./30–38 cm), glossy black bird with yellow head wattles. It is a forest dweller and lives mostly on fruits. In the wild state its calls vary from low chuckles to loud whistles; when trained it is a better mimic than the parrot. The common myna of S Asia, genus Acridotheres, is smaller (10 in./25 cm) and not so good a mimic. The Papuan myna is found on the islands of the S Pacific. Some species, such as the Buli mynah, are highly endangered. Mynas are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Sturnidae.

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mynah

 or myna

Any of several Asian songbird species of the starling family (Sturnidae). The hill mynah (Gracula religiosa) of southern Asia, called the grackle in India, is about 10 in. (25 cm) long and glossy black with white wing patches, yellow wattles, and orange bill and legs. In the wild, it chuckles and shrieks; caged, it learns to imitate human speech far better than its chief rival, the gray parrot. The common, or Indian, mynah (Acridotheres tristis) was introduced into Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. The crested mynah (A. cristatellus), native to China and Indonesia, was introduced into British Columbia, Canada, but has not spread.

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mynah, myna

any of various tropical Asian starlings of the genera Acridotheres, Gracula, etc., esp G. religiosa (see hill mynah), some of which can mimic human speech

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myna

certain species are able to mimic human speech and other sounds. [Ornithology: Sparks]

See : Mimicry

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Myna

(Acridotheres tristis), a bird of the family Sturnidae of the order Passeriformes. The body length measures about 25 cm. The plumage is brown with white and grayish black. The myna is distributed in southern Asia. In the early 20th century it penetrated into Middle Asia and beginning in the 1930’s rapidly settled in the northwest, reaching Turkmenia, Uzbekistan, Karakalpakia, and southern Kazakhstan. A sedentary bird, it often lives in populated areas. It nests two to three times a summer. The nests are beneath roofs, in the walls of buildings, and, more rarely, in tree hollows or on cliffs. There are four or five light-blue eggs per clutch. The myna feeds on insects (including grasshoppers, whose destruction is beneficial) and berries (mainly mulberries). Mynas are often kept as pets, since the young birds can be taught to say words and even phrases.