Indian Pied Myna
Gracupica contra
The Indian Pied Myna (Gracupica contra) is a common rhabdornis, starlings, and myna found in 17 countries, weighing about 84 g. The Indian pied myna is a species of starling found in the Indian subcontinent.










About the Indian Pied Myna
The Indian pied myna is a species of starling found in the Indian subcontinent. It is usually found in small groups mainly on the plains and low foothills. It is often seen within cities and villages although it is not as bold as the common myna. It produces a range of calls made up of liquid notes.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This myna is strikingly marked in black and white and has a yellowish bill with a reddish bill base. The bare skin around the eye is reddish. The upper body, throat and breast are black while the cheek, lores, wing coverts and rump are contrastingly white. The sexes are similar in plumage but young birds have dark brown in place of black. The subspecies vary slightly in plumage, extent of streaking of the feathers and in measurements. The flight is slow and butterfly-like on round wings. Leucistic individuals have been recorded.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Indonesia, Laos, Hong Kong SAR China.
When to see it
The Indian Pied Myna can be seen all year round, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Indian Pied Myna?
- This myna is strikingly marked in black and white and has a yellowish bill with a reddish bill base. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Indian Pied Myna?
- The Indian Pied Myna is a medium sized bird weighing about 84 g.
- Where can you see an Indian Pied Myna?
- The Indian Pied Myna occurs in 17 countries, including India, Thailand, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates and Nepal.
- What birds look similar to an Indian Pied Myna?
- The Indian Pied Myna is most easily confused with the Black-collared Starling.
- Is the Indian Pied Myna endangered?
- The Indian Pied Myna is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Indian Pied Myna for real
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