Common Myna call is noisy and varied, ranging from harsh gurglings and subdued chattering to liquid whistles. On taking flight, gives a weak, rather querulous ‘kwerrh’. Common Myna Alarm calls a harsh, grating, rather drawn-out ‘traaahh’, recalling Spotted Nutcracker.
Common Myna Song is disjointed and tuneless, with a variety of different gurgling and whistling phrases (more often than not swiftly repeated), e.g. ‘teeuh tee-uh tee-uh krok krok krok cheehtoo cheehtoo cheehtoo’ or ‘keek keek keek chowrr chowrr kok kok kok’ (the ‘krok krok krok’, or ‘kok kok kok’, accompanied by head-bobbing). Sometimes imitates other birds, but not a great mimic.
A popular cage bird due to their singing and speaking abilities. Before sleeping in communal roosts, these mynas vocalize in unison, which is recognized as communal noise. Common mynas naturally have the habits of loud screeches when their mate or other birds are in danger of predators or about to take off flying.
The bird is restricted to urban areas (favoring parks, roadside verges, gardens, etc.), but in its natural range also found in all kinds of open or partly wooded country, villages, etc. Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) is a 24cm South Asian bird. It has characteristic bold, upright, short-tailed, starling-type jizz.
That is a much prominent teardrop-shaped area of bare waxy-yellow skin behind and below the eye, bright waxy-yellow bill and legs, and bold white tips to outer tail feathers. Most of all, the white wing panel (mainly hidden at rest, but exceptionally conspicuous in flight) makes identification easy.
Tame and cheeky, often snatching scraps close to people or domestic animals. Common Myna quarrels some towards each other but naturally found in small, loose groups. Sometimes it is also called “Mynah”. The young myna bird is duller overall, with head, throat, and upper breast brown (rather than a contrasting grayish-black.
Related Reading – Bank Myna Sound
