Hill Mynahs

Hill Mynahs
Kathy Butterfield

Greater Indian Hill, Flores Hill, Palawan Hill Mynahs

There are 12 known sub-species of Hill Mynahs. The Java Hill (Gracula religiosa religiosa) and the Greater Indian Hill (Gracula religiosa intermedia) mynahs are the ones most remembered being seen in pet stores in the United States, before the import ban took place. Some types of Hill mynahs are protected and cannot be found in bird markets or pet stores around the world. All Hill mynahs are of the genus "Gracula" and the species "religiosa". Gracula religiosa mynah species are referred to Common Hill mynahs, except for the Southern Hill Mynah and the Nias Hill mynah. Because of deforestation, trapping and smuggling, the number of Hill Mynahs is considerably less than it once was and have been forced to live in lower elevations. Prized for their vocal skills for hundreds of years in their native lands, the Hill Mynahs reputation is legendary. All Hill Mynahs are capable of mimicking but some are better than others. Two races are recognized as the most proficient talkers of the Hill mynahs and of all talking birds, but these two races were the most widely imported for the pet trade than any other mynah.

The Greater Indian Hill (Gracula religiosa intermedia) and the Java Hill (Gracula religiosa religiosa) are the two that were captured and imported for the pet trade more than any other. They are able to talk with the same tones and clarity of speech as the human voices they mimic. The Java Hill, which is the larger of the two, has a louder voice.

Lesser Hill mynahs (Gracula religiosa indica) had been captured and imported for the pet trade along with the Greater Indian Hill and Java Hill mynahs but since they were not as popular, not many were imported. Lesser Hill mynahs are capable of learning words and phrases but do not excel at it. A Lesser Hills voice has a higher pitch and does not have the tone ranges needed to imitate human voice as well as the Greater Hill and Java Hill mynah.

The Hill Mynah has been described by many as the best talking bird in the world, the most magnificent, magnetic and majestic, and the absolute champion of mimics! They can choose to imitate any human voice and speak in high or low tones.

Where they live
Hill mynahs once preferred living in hill forests from a range beginning at about 1000 feet and up to 5000 feet and more, but because of deforestation, they now reside beginning at sea level in lowland forests. They prefer areas of high rainfall and humidity and spend most of their lives in trees, inhabiting dense jungle forests. Though most live in trees on the forest edge, some races are found on tea and coffee plantations where there are lots of large flowering shade trees, and in mangroves.

What they do
When not in flight, instead of the jaunty gait that other starlings and other types of mynahs have, Hill mynahs use a hopping method to move around. In trees, they move from branch to branch with sideways hops. Just before sunset, they become especially active, calling and answering too one another until finally retiring to their sleeping places. Their sounds include shrill whistling, gurgling and screeching noises.

What they eat
Mynahs mostly travel in pairs but flocks of about 100 birds have been seen. Hill mynahs are mainly frugivorous and feed on ripened fruit, especially figs. The other fruits they eat in the wild are berries and seeds from a wide variety of trees and shrubs, and nectar from several kinds of flowers. Occasionally they eat insects from the foliage of trees and termites they snatch with their beak right out of the air. Occasionally they will eat a small lizard or other small mammal to regurgitate and feed to their babies, during breeding season (mynah breeders offer meal worms for this purpose).

What goes on during breeding season
Breeding seasons vary. In northern India: April-July. In Thailand: January-July.
Since the breeding season is longer in Thailand, a pair of mynahs will produce two to three clutches each year. A pair of mynahs will nest 10 to 40 feet or more above the ground, in the bottom of a hole of a tall tree. The entrance to the hole they choose is so small they can barely squeeze inside. The mynahs will choose a tree on the edge of the forest, in a clearing, or an isolated tree in a cultivated area. The nest is made with some or all of the following: small twigs, dry pine needles, dry leaves, a little dirt and feathers the birds have gathered. On the average, two to four eggs are laid in each clutch, but sometimes only one egg is laid. The eggs are pale blue and may or may not have tiny brown speckles and blotches. Both sexes incubate the eggs for 13 to 17 days, the average being 14 days. The female spends more time on the nest than the male. Both male and female feed the babies together and leave them unattended when out searching for food. Though the parents still eat some fruit during this time, this is mostly when they eat insects and small lizards, etc. - to regurgitate and feed to their babies. The parent birds also remove feces from the nest as necessary. The babies fledge after 25-28 days. They gain independence very fast since the parents soon begin another clutch. After the breeding season is over, the mynahs migrate to areas where there is an abundance of ripening fruit, especially the fruit of ficus trees.

General Description

glossy sheen
The glossy black plumage is basically the same in all Hill races and when
struck by the light you see a sheen of iridescent purple, turquoise and green.

All have similar bright yellow wattles but the wattle pattern varies and
a bright orange beak that fades to yellow at the tip, resembling "candy corn".

There's a band of white across each wing.

The legs and feet are yellow.

Immature Hill mynahs look like the adults but the plumage is somewhat dull
and may even have a ragged appearance, for not having gone through the first molt.

Species of Hill Mynahs

Ceylon Mynah
Gracula religiosa ptilogenys
a.k.a. Sri Lanka Mynah

About 8 1/2 inches long. Native to Sri Lanka, this is the smallest of the Hill mynahs.
This is the only Hill mynah lacking wattles on the sides of the face but does have wattles on the neck.
This mynah talks well and has been eagerly sought after for the pet market.

Lesser Hill Mynah
Gracula religiosa indica
a.k.a. Southern Hill Mynah

Length 9 to 10 inches, rarely exceeding 10 inches. Found in South-west India & Sri Lanka.
In spite of its apparent inferiority to mimic human speech as well as the Greater and Java Hill Mynahs,
this bird was still caught in great numbers and imported for pet bird trade.

Andaman Mynah
Gracula religiosa andamanensis
a.k.a. Nicobar Mynah

Native to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Mynahs from Nicobar have been seen to possess two large naked lappets
joined at the back of the neck at the top end, leaving no feathered portion in between.
This probably distinguishes them from the other Hill mynahs seen in the Andamans and the rest of the Nicobars.

Palawan Mynah
Gracula religiosa palawanensis
a.k.a. Philippine Talking Mynah

Native to Palawan Island (Philippines). About 12 to 13 inches long, this
mynah is similar in looks to the the G. r. religiosa but is lightly smaller in size and the bill is shorter but deep.
There is very little white on the outer margin of the 3rd primaries of the flight feathers.

Enggano Hill Mynah
Gracula religiosa enggano

Originally from Enggano Island, west of southern tip of Sumatra.
About 10 1/2 inches long. Said to be synonomous with the G. r religiosa
but the feathers on the sides of forehead are larger and directed upwards
to form tufts at the base of the upper mandible and also has a shorter stubbier bill.

Greater India Hill Mynah
Gracula religiosa intermedia
a.k.a. Greater Indian Hill mynah, Nepal Mynah, Talking Mynah, Indian Grackle

Found in Burma, Thailand, Nepal, Assam, northern India, and the Himalayas.
About 10 to 11 1/2 inches long. The eye and nape patches are joined.
The Greater Hill Mynah that was captured regularly and in great numbers to be imported for the pet trade.

Greater India Hill Mynah
Gracula religiosa peninsularis
a.k.a. Greater Indian Hill mynah, Indian Grackle

Found in India to the north-east of the Deccan, particularly in Orissa,
and also in eastern Madhya Pradesh and northern Andhra Pradesh.
Usually a little smaller than the G. r. intermedia and has a shorter, finer bill.
This is not the Greater Hill Mynah that was captured in great numbers and imported for the pet trade.

Java Hill Mynah
Gracula religiosa religiosa
a.k.a. Talking Mynah

Found in Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo and Bangka Island.
Length, approximately 12 inches. This is the Java Hill sub-species
that was captured the most and imported for the pet trade but not
in as great of numbers as the Greater Indian Hill mynahs.

Sumbawa Mynah
Gracula religiosa venerata

Found in Sumbawa in the Lesser Sundas Islands between Bali and Timor.
Length is said to be 12 to 13 inches.

Flores Hill Mynah
Gracula religiosa mertensi

Found in Flores, Pantar and Alor.
Said to be larger than the G. r. venerata.

Batu Mynah
Gracula religiosa batuensis

Found in Batu and Mentawai Islands off the northwest coast of Sumatra.
Slightly smaller than the Nias Hill Mynah.
The wattle configuration is similar and the feet and beak are shorter.

Nias Hill Mynah
Gracula religiosa robusta
a.k.a. Nias Island Mynah

Found in West Sumatran islands of Babi, Tuangku, Bangkaru.
Significantly larger than the Java Hill and much larger than the Greater Indian Hill.
The Nias Hill is a gentle bird. It is the largest of all Hill mynahs.
They can be as much as16 inches in length and weight approximately 400 grams.
Nias Hill Mynahs have declined substantially in number,
due to both trappers and loss of habitat from deforestation.
They are not available for the bird markets or importing and are now protected.

Reference Materials:
Mynah Birds by Rosemary Low, Cage & Aviary Birds by Richard Mark Martin,
Starlings and Mynahs by Chris Feare and Adrian Craig, Mynahs by Martin Weil,
Mynahs, A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Otto von Frisch, and information
provided to me by a friend in Indonesia.

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