Jungle Myna

The Jungle Myna is a widespread songbird of South and Southeast Asia, closely related to the Common Myna but generally grayer overall and marked by a distinctive small tuft of feathers projecting from the forehead above the bill. It is a common bird of open country, cultivated land, and forest edges.

Flight feathers: gray-brown with a bold white patch at the base of the primaries, similar in placement to the Common Myna's wing flash. Tail feathers: gray-brown with a whitish tip. Body feathers: overall slate-gray rather than warm brown, with a small tuft of elongated feathers at the base of the forehead pointing forward, a bluish-based yellow bill, and orange-yellow legs. This forehead feather tuft is the most reliable feature separating Jungle Myna feathers and field appearance from the very similar Common Myna, which lacks the tuft and shows warmer brown body tones.

Sexes look alike. Adults are slate-gray overall with a small forward-pointing tuft of feathers on the forehead, a white wing patch, a whitish tail tip, and a bicolored bill (yellow with a bluish base). Juveniles are duller grayish-brown with a reduced or absent forehead tuft, developing the full adult tuft and coloration as they mature. There is no strong seasonal plumage variation.

Jungle Mynas are found across South and parts of Southeast Asia, favoring open country, cultivated fields, grassland, and forest edge habitats, often near water. The species is generally resident, with only local movements in response to food availability.

This myna forages on the ground and in low vegetation, taking insects, other invertebrates, and fruit, often in the company of livestock or other mynas. It nests in cavities, including tree hollows and building crevices, sometimes in loose colonies. Calls include a range of chattering, gurgling, and whistled notes similar to other mynas, often given from a perch or in flight among a foraging flock.