- Acridotheres ginginianus
Identification
22cm (8¾ in). A smallish Myna, locally called Ganga Maina.
- Grey plumage
- Black hood and frontal crest
- Glossy black wing with buff wing-patch
- Black tail with buff outertail feathers (prominent in flight)
- Red eye with large bare orange-red cheek-patch
- Orange bill and legs
Sexes similar.
Juveniles are duller and browner with paler buff markings on wings and reduced buff on tail.
Distribution
Foothills of eastern Pakistan to southern Nepal, north-central India and Bangladesh. An old record from southeast Afghanistan.
Introduced in Japan and United Arab Emirates, also reports from Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. A rare exotic in Taiwan, but no proof of breeding.
A common species in most of its range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Habitat
Cultivated areas (often near cattle) and cities.
Behaviour
Forms large communal roosts all year, often in sugar cane or reedbeds, also in trees or on buildings.
Diet
Omnivorous. Feeds on animal food, fruit, seeds and food waste.
Forages usually in pairs or flocks.
Breeding
Breeding season mainly from April to June. A monogamous species. Excavates a tunnel in a river bank for its nest. Lays 3 - 6 eggs.
Movements
A resident species with some seasonal or nomadic movements in its range.
Vocalisation
Recording by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, India, June-2017
Individuals of a feeding party moving through canopy and dry branches and calling on a very hot afternoon. All calls in this recording are by Bank Mynas, only.
Gallery
Click images to see larger version
Opportunistic nesting in concrete structure
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Dist. Gurgaon, India, October-2013
Photo © by subramanya_ck
Ahmadabad, India, January-2010
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BF Member observations
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bank Myna. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bank_Myna
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
