Common Myna: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Ken Butler · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Acridotheres tristis
- Family
- Starlings
- Size
- About 25 cm
- Habitat
- Towns, farmland and open woodland
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania
The key marks
Brown starling with a black hood, bare yellow skin behind the eye, a yellow bill and legs, and big white wing patches in flight. Javan Myna is grey-black with a short forehead tuft, a white tail tip and no bare yellow eye patch.
Voice
Loud chattering with harsh, gurgling and whistled notes.
Good to know
One of the world's most widespread invasive birds, it has been introduced to many countries far beyond its native southern Asia.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Javan Myna. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in towns, farmland and open woodland. It is especially common in Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Israel and India. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.