Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus) Photo: iNaturalist
The noisy black birds with big white spots under their wings so active in Sai Kung at present are crested mynas. It is believed to be mating season for them and they are clearly having a lot of raucous fun. You see them in the trees and buildings near McDonald’s and along Fuk Man Road and on the waterfront. One bird lover said, ” Crested mynas are always active, and noisy, especially when they conduct their chaotic meetings in the banyan trees. Yes, many birds are mating at present.”
Photo: eBird
Also known as Chinese starlings, the mynas have a tuft of feathers on their foreheads, hence the term crested. They are mainly black with a slight green sheen. Large white patches under the wings show when they fly. In adults the eyes are orange, the bill pale yellow and the legs dark yellow. Nests are built in chimneys, drains and crevices. In April or May clutches of four to six blue-green eggs will appear in the nests. The eggs are incubated for 14 days. Hatchlings are born naked except for grey down. Within 20 days they will be covered with brown feathers. Then the hatchlings fly out of the nest to shrubs or trees. The parents keep feeding them for about a week. The immature mynas do not leave their parents. They form family groups and larger flocks traveling and feeding together. They have a wide variety of songs and calls — whistles, warbles and chortles.
Be the first to comment