Brahminy Starling - 'ஓ மைனாஓ மைனா! - இது உன் கண்ணா பொன்மீனா'

A very attractive small bird visited yesterday and posed too !  Unlikely you know her !!  How many birds can you identify – a close friend responded 10 !  -  Crow, Pigeon, Parrot, Mynah, Peacock, Owl, Sparrow, Duck, Crane, Pelican .. .. ..  and .. .. and !!!

 

'ஓ மைனாஓ மைனா! - இது உன் கண்ணா பொன்மீனா' - என அதிகம் கேட்டிராத பாடல். SPB குரலிலும், TMS குரலிலும் ஒலித்தது..  நான்கு சுவர்கள் 1971 ஆம் ஆண்டு வெளிவந்த தமிழ்த் திரைப்படம். கே. பாலச்சந்தர் இயக்கத்தில் வெளிவந்த இத்திரைப்படத்தில் ஜெய்சங்கர், வாணிஸ்ரீ மற்றும் பலரும் நடித்திருந்தனர். 

The mynas  are a group of birds in the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to Iran and Southern Asia, especially Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Several species have been introduced to areas like North America, Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand, especially the common myna, which is often regarded as an invasive species. It is often known as "Selarang" and "Teck Meng" in Malay and Chinese respectively in Singapore, due to their high population there.  The common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled mynah, is an  omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct that  has adapted extremely well to urban environments.

 

Pictured here is a “Brahminy Starling”.  This handsome starling from India and Nepal is named “pagodarum” in its scientific name, from its habits for perching on temple pagodas in S India. As other Sturnidae, the Brahminy Starling is very gregarious and often seen in large flocks at roosts.  I saw a solitary bird only. 

The adult has long loose crest formed by elongate crown feathers. On nape and upper breast, feathers are also hackled. On the head, forehead and crown are glossy black. The nape is cinnamon with fine shaft streaks. This part is often concealed by the long crest feathers. On the upperparts, mantle, back and rump are brownish-grey.   The tail is grey-brown with white tips except on central pair.The underparts are cinnamon, including the neck sides. The bill is yellow with bluish base. Eyes are pale greenish-yellow. Legs and feet are yellow. 

The   adult Brahminy starling, like  European starling is a handsome species and is a resident of dry scrub forests and has  fondness for perching on buildings and temple pagodas in southern India.  It was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus pagodarum.  The specific epithet pagodarum is Modern Latin meaning "of the temples" or "of the pagodas".  

 
Interesting !
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
21.10.2024