About Mynah Birds

Mynahs are talkative birds, known for their social personalities and their ability to mimic human speech. Mynah birds are members of the starling family. In the wild, they live in the hollows of trees and scavenge for food. These birds have high intelligence and excellent learning ability.

  1. Appearance

    • The common mynah bird measures about 12 to 15 inches tall. Its body is a soft grey-brown, and its head is jet black, with yellow wattles on the nape of the neck and below the eye. During flight, large white patches are visible on the underside of its wings. In the wild, common mynahs are usually seen in pairs. The common mynah is also known as the Indian mynah, Indian Hill mynah or hill mynah.

    Behavior

    • Mynah birds' natural habitat is in southeast Asia and on the eastern coast of Australia. Mynah birds were brought to Melbourne starting in the mid-19th century from southeast Asia, and they quickly took root there. Mynahs are a talkative, social species. They often gather in large groups to fly together. They obtain their food by scavenging, and a meal can include anything from insects, pet food, fruits and vegetables to fledgling sparrows. Mynahs make many different sounds in the wild, from low chuckling noises to loud whistles that carry through the forest.

    Breeding

    • Mynah birds mate for life. When it's time to lay eggs, they nest in tree hollows and in the walls and ceilings of buildings. The male and the female share nesting duties. Often, a mynah bird pair will evict another pair from its nest to raise their own young in it. The female will lay three to five eggs, which are blue-green with sparse brown spots. It takes 11 to 14 days to incubate the eggs. Once the chicks are hatched, they remain in the nest until they have grown their first full set of flight feathers, which takes about three weeks.

    Mynah Birds As Pets

    • Many people keep mynah birds as pets. The common mynah is known for its talking abilities and active personality. Mynah Bird.org recommends choosing only domestic mynahs -- up to 80 percent of birds shipped from the wild die in transit, and their habitats are often destroyed. Feed your mynah food for soft-bill birds, not parrot food. Mynahs can become sick from too much iron, so avoid meat and high-iron foods. Mynah birds can live up to 15 years if kept healthy and treated well.