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About the Myna Bird

Three different species of wild myna birds live in North America. Originally native to open woodlands in Asia, the myna has adapted to urban and agricultural areas. Mynas can be found in Florida, California and British Columbia, where captive birds escaped and established wild populations, and in Hawaii, where humans introduced the species to help control insects. Humans also keep myna, or mynah, birds as exotic pets. Mynas, which are closely related to starlings, have noisy, raucous vocalizations but also imitate other birds' calls and even human sounds.

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
- The American Birding Association (ABA) added the common myna, or Indian myna, to its species checklist in 2008. It measures 9.75 inches long, with a wingspan of 18 inches. The common myna has a black head with a small yellow eye-ring. Unlike the other two myna species, which are predominantly black overall, its body is brown with white under the tail. Common mynas are omnivores, eating insects, fruit, grain, nectar, small reptiles, birds' eggs and chicks.
Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus)
- With a short, bushy crest of feathers on its head, this bird is similar in size to the common myna. As of 2011, it is only found in its native Southeast Asia. One or two pairs were released in Vancouver, British Columbia in the 1890s, which led to a population peak of several thousand by the 1930s. However, after the death of the last two known individuals in 2002 (they were hit by a car), the species was removed from the ABA checklist of North American birds.
Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa or Eulabes religiosa)
- The hill myna is the largest of the three species at about 10.5 inches long and a wingspan of up to 20 inches. Compared to the other two mynas, it has a somewhat shorter tail and a heavier, deep-orange bill. It has noticeable bright-yellow waddles, or flaps of skin, by each eye. The hill myna has wild populations in southern Florida and southern California. It is sometimes called the "talking myna." It is the myna species most commonly kept as a pet bird because of its ability to mimic human speech.
Invasive Species
- Common mynas are indigenous to India, where they are considered "the farmer's friend" because they eat pest insects. Humans introduced mynas into other areas for insect control, including Hawaii and Australia. But, as of 2011, both locations prohibit mynas because they damage fruit crops and carry parasites that may infect humans. Competition from common mynas negatively impacts parrots and other bird species, some of which are already endangered. For these reasons, the common myna was one of only three birds on the 2011 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of the world's worst 100 invasive species.

Animals & Science