Common Myna / Indian Myna
Afrikaans name: Indiese Spreeu
Common Myna on a garden fence
Acridotheres tristis
The Common Myna is more commonly known as the Indian Myna and went under that name for a long time in South African ornithological circles. On the Internet you find a variety of spellings of its old name such as Indian Miner, Indian Mynah and Indian Mynah Bird.
This bird is an introduced species in South Africa. It was introduced in South Africa in the 1890's and its population has grown tremendously as it spreads from town to town. It is most common around human habitation.
Despite being an introduced species it is loved and admired in some places. In Durban particularly it is used a symbol for some buses etc. I must admit that I am one of the many people that does not like this bird. It is quite aggressive and often chases other garden birds away from feeding stations. Something that I do admire is their range of calls which often including mimicing of telephones and many other sounds. I also find their territorial fights quite fun!
Common Mynas are typically seen in pairs, or small groups, but they often get together in huge numbers overnight. The noise at these roosts, in the early evening, is unbelievable.
Male and female have the same plumage. Sometimes you will see an individual that has a lot of feathers missing from its head exposing the bright yellow skin. The reason for this is not known. The Malayan people call this "botak" which means bald head.
Mynas pair for life and lay about 5 eggs at a time. Their nest sites are normally in holes under roofs or similar structures. They used to be infamous for building their nests in traffic lights, until the design was changed from a closed cylinder to one with an open base.
Mynas are members of the Starling family. They originate from Southern Asia but have spread to many parts of the world.
They eat a wide variety of foods including insects, small mammals, fruit and seeds. They will readily eat leftover food put out by people.
The scientific name of the Common Myna is Acridotheres tristis which has an interesting meaning. The generic name comes from the Greek words acrido and theres which basically mean locust and hunting. The specific name tristis is Latin for sad. So does that make this bird a "sad locust hunter"?
Roberts Birds Names by Edition
Edition | Roberts nr | Scientific name |
---|---|---|
1st | 734 | Acridotheres tristis |
2nd | 734 | Acridotheres tristis |
3rd | 734 | Acridotheres tristis |
4th | 734 | Acridotheres tristis |
5th | 758 | Acridotheres tristis |
6th | 758 | Acridotheres tristis |
7th | 809 | Acridotheres tristis |
Edition | Roberts nr | English name |
---|---|---|
1st | 734 | Indian Myna |
2nd | 734 | Indian Myna |
3rd | 734 | Indian Myna |
4th | 734 | Indian Myna |
5th | 758 | Indian Myna |
6th | 758 | Indian Myna |
7th | 809 | Common Myna |
Edition | Roberts nr | Afrikaans name |
---|---|---|
1st | 734 | Indiese-spreeu |
2nd | 734 | Indiese Spreeu |
3rd | 734 | Indiese Spreeu |
4th | 734 | Indiese Spreeu |
5th | 758 | Indiese Spreeu |
6th | 758 | Indiese Spreeu |
7th | 809 | Indiese Spreeu |
References and further reading
Wildlife of Southern Africa - Author: Martin Withers and David Hosking - Published: 2011 - Page: 174Wild About Johannesburg - Author: Duncan Butchart - Published: 1995 - Page: 58
Southern African Wildlife - Author: Readers Digest - Published: 1989 - Page: 193
The Birds of South Africa - 1st Edition - Author: Dr. Austin Roberts - Published: 1949 - Page: 311
The Sandton Field Guide - Author: Sandton Nature Conservation Society - Published: 1982 - Page: 62
Sasol Birds of Southern Africa - 4th Edition - Author: Ian Sinclair et al. - Published: 2011 - Page: 404
Southern African Bird Names Explained - Author: Charles Clinning - Published: 1989 - Page: 2
Sasol Birds of Southern Africa - 1st Edition - Author: Ian Sinclair et al. - Published: 1993 - Page: 370
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa - 6th Edition - Author: Gordon Lindsay Maclean - Published: 1993 - Page: 665
Roberts Birds of South Africa - 4th Edition - Author: McLachlan and Liversidge - Published: 1981 - Page: 521
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa - 5th Edition - Author: Gordon Lindsay Maclean - Published: 1985 - Page: 667
Roberts Birds of South Africa - 2nd edition - Author: McLachlan and Liversidge - Published: 1957 - Page: 393
Roberts Birds of South Africa - 3rd Edition - Author: McLachlan and Liversidge - Published: 1975 - Page: 509
Newmans Birds of Southern Africa - 7th Edition - Author: Ken Newman - Published: 2000 - Page: 384
Newmans Garden Birds - Author: Ken Newman - Published: 1991 - Page: 94
Roberts Bird Guide - Author: Hugh Chittenden - Published: 2007 - Page: 306
Meeting with Birds - Author: Tom Spence - Published: 1986 - Page: 98
Newmans Birds of Southern Africa - 1st Edition - Author: Ken Newman - Published: 1984 - Page: 384
Geoff Lockwoods Garden Birds of Southern Africa - Author: Geoff Lockwood - Published: 0 - Page: 43
Ian Sinclairs Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa - 2nd Edition - Author: Ian Sinclair - Published: 1988 - Page: 290
Know your Garden Birds - Author: - Published: 0 - Page: 34
Garden Birds of Southern Africa - Author: P. Ginn & G. McIlleron - Published: 1981 - Page: 28
Everyones Guide to South African Birds - Author: John Sinclair and John Mendelsohn - Published: 1987 - Page: 23
Garden Birds in South Africa - Author: Duncan Butchart - Published: 2017 - Page: 118
Collins Illustrated Checklist - Birds of Southern Africa - 1st edition - Author: Ber van Perlo - Published: 1999 - Page: 74
Birds of the Transvaal - Author: Tarboton, Kemp and Kemp - Published: 1987 - Page: 238
Birds of the Natal Drakensberg Park - Author: Robin Little and William Bainbridge - Published: 1992 - Page: 102
Birds of the Transkei - Author: C.D. Quickelberge - Published: 1989 - Page: 110
A Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa - 2nd Edition - Author: O.P.M. Prozesky - Published: 1983 - Page: 279
Bird Atlas of Natal - Author: Digby Cyrus and Nigel Robson - Published: 1980 - Page: 255
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