Often a buffalo wallowing in a pond will sit still while a small blackish bird probes for grubs behind the gentle giant’s ears. The Jungle Myna, one of the commonest birds of Goa is small bird of nine inches. It is a greyish black bird with characteristic yellow beak, white wing patch and a tuft of hair right at the base of its beak.
This species is very generalist in its feeding behavior and has a wide range of diet including fruit, grain, insects and smaller animals like mice and lizards. Even though its very common and not so good looking, the Jungle Myna is a very important bird in the ecosystem which is responsible for pollination and seed dispersal of many plants.
The tuft of hair right in front of the beak seems to have evolved as a mechanism for pollination. When this bird visits flowers of trees like the silk cotton tree for feeding on its nectar, pollen gets stuck to the hairs at the base of their beak which acts as a pollen brush and is carried to other flowers. This process of pollination by birds is called “ornithophily”.
Jungle Myna has a wide distribution in India- along the Western Ghats, parts of Eastern Ghats and foothills of Himalayas. Unlike its cousin the Common Myna, the Jungle Myna is not very dependent on humans. They are usually found in company of other mynas where their ranges over lap and can be generally seen attending to cattle. Their call is a harsh “chake chake” or “keek-keek-keek” or “kok-kok-kok” and there are many variations to this.
Jungle Mynas breed between February and May. They nest usually in tree holes excavated by Woodpeckers or Barbets which is lined with an assortment of materials including twigs, roots, feathers, paper and so on. Sometimes, they also occupy holes within rocks and gaps under bridges. They usually lay 4 to 6 eggs per brood.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the Jungle Myna as least concerned in terms of conservation prioritization, but resent studies are showing that their population is declining. Reasons for this include habitat loss and excessive pesticide usage in agricultural fields and gardens.
Image Credit: Stephen Menezes‎
