mynah

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