Common Myna

Scientific Name Acridotheres tristis

Native No

Family Sturnidae

Common Weight 125 Grams

Common Height 14 CM

Common Length 24 CM

Identification

Mynas are stocky brown birds with a shiny black head and shoulders. Commonly found on road sides on Waiheke, usually playing chicken with cars while foraging for food.

The common myna is a native of India, east and west Pakistan and Burma. Myna were introduced to many Pacific lands, including New Zealand, usually to combat invertebrate pests. They are commonly seen waiting till the last minute to avoid traffic while foraging for road-killed insects.

Mynas are large, noticeable passerines (perching birds). They are commonly seen in pairs or in small family groups. Adult Mynas are black when new but fade to brown. The base of the myna is white and all upper and lower feathers are also white. The tail is black when new, all feathers tipped in white which wear off during the breeding season. The bill and naked eye surround is bright yellow. The iris is dark brown over grey, with distinct white flecks. Legs are yellow brown and the claws horn-coloured. Juveniles are of paler plumage, the bill is light yellow streaked with dark grey, and the skin around the eye is white for the first two weeks. Juvenile tail feathers are without white tips and the iris is grey.

Their call is a loud chickork-chickork-chickork (territorial announcment) given while head-bobbing, may be accompanied by a complicated series of quiet calls including pee pee pee, bell-like notes and deep guttural booming. Other quiet trills are used when inviting a mate to fly.

Mynas don’t exhibit distinct differences between the two sexes. They pair for life but quickly find a new mate on the death of their previous mate. Both members of a pair announce ownership of a nest and territory using the head bob and their loud call, and forcefully defend their nest site and feeding territory against all other mynas.

They destroy eggs and nestlings of any other species within their territory (especially starlings).

Waiheke Wildlife

Fantail

The Fantail is a well known NZ bird due to its distinctive fanned tail. Locations found on Waiheke are any well-treed parks, bush walks and even properties.

Magpie

The Magpie is a large black-and-white songbird, It was introduced from Australia. It can be found on Waiheke around farmland and large grass reserves.

Mynas are stocky brown birds with a shiny black head and shoulders. Commonly found on road sides on Waiheke, usually playing chicken with cars while foraging for food.

Black Bird

The black bird is a medium-sized songbird that is entirely black in adult males with a yellow bill. Abundantly found on Waiheke around household properties and trees.

Variable Oyster Catcher

The variable oystercatcher is a stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, it is located on many quiet beaches such as Blackpool, Whakanewha and Anzac bay.

Wood Pigeon

The Wood pigeon is a large distinctively-coloured pigeon, it is easy to find on Waiheke due to its size, they are usually perched on powerlines or trees.

White Faced Heron

The white-faced heron is a tall, elegant, blue-grey bird usually spotted stalking prey. Locations found on Waiheke are Mangroves, Anzac bay and quiet beaches.

Sacred Kingfisher

The sacred kingfisher is a distinctive bird with a green-blue back, buff to yellow undersides and a large black bill. they can be found nearby tidal beaches on waiheke.

Australasian Gannet

The gannet is a large slender-bodied seabird with mainly white plumage, buff-yellow head and neck. Occassionally seen around Waiheke searching for food in ocean depths.

Tui

The Tui is a iridescent blue-green honeyeater with two curled white feather tufts on the throat. Locations found on Waiheke are around flaxes feeding off nectar.

Pūkeko

The Pukeko is a large relatively compact rail with a deep blue-violet head, breast and throat and a red bill. Found in swamp/Mangrove areas of Waiheke Island.

NZ Dotterel

The New Zealand Dotterel is a shorebird which breeds on beaches in NZ's North Island. Locations found on Waiheke are Whakanewha, Anzac Bay and Blackpool.

Bar-tailed Godwit

The Godwit is a migrant from Alaska, they fly 8-9 days straight to arrive in NZ. They can be found on Waiheke from September - March located at Blackpool.

White-Eye

A small songbird, immediately recognisable by its distinctive white eye-ring. This quick little bird can be found feeding off flax and kowhais or fruit trees on Waiheke.

Thrush

The thrush is a medium-sized songbird with a speckled brown-on-cream breast, usually heard before it is seen, found in grass reserves, gardens and trees on Waiheke.

Great black-backed gull

The Black-backed gull is a large black-and-white gull with a white head and underparts, black back, yellow bill with a red spot near the tip. Located on Waiheke beaches.

Pied Shag

This large black-and-white shag is often seen individually or in a group, usually spotted in the ocean searching for food or hanging around fisherman by the rocks of Waiheke.

White Fronted Tern

The white-fronted tern is a medium-sized, long-tailed sea tern commonly around New Zealand coasts. Spotted congregating on Waiheke wharfs such as Matiatia and Orapiu.

Grey Warbler

The Grey Warbler is a tiny olive-grey song bird often heard before seen. Locations on Waiheke are dense woody vegetations. The warbler can be difficult to spot.

Red Billed Gull

The red-billed gull also known as a "Seagull" is common around New Zealand Coasts. Located everywhere on Waiheke beaches where food or bait is readily accessible.

Kaka

The Kaka is a large, olive-brown parrot with grey-white crown, red-orange underwing and deep crimson belly, located in tree covered areas around Onetangi.

Pied Stilt

The pied stilt is a dainty wading bird, It is common at wetlands and coastal areas, found on Waiheke at Putiki Bay, Anzac Bay and Blackpool.

Little Shag

The little shag is a small shag, with a short yellow bill, black feet, a relatively long tail, usually spotted in the ocean searching for food or hanging around Waiheke…

Spur-winged Plover

The Spur-winged plover is a large stocky wader with a yellow bill and spurs on each wing, locations found on Waiheke are Blackpool, Maori hill and Whakanewha.

Welcome Swallow

Welcome swallows are small fast-flying birds, they are usually seen around waiheke during breeding season between August and February on powerlines, fences and beaches.

Spotted Turtle Dove

The spotted dove is a medium-sized, long-tailed dove, with a greyish head and speckled greyish brown upperparts. Found on Waiheke around gardens and the rooster reserve.

Breeding

Mynas nest in cavities, inside the eaves of houses, in letter boxes and cardboard cartons (even on the ground) and nesting boxes.

Nest are made of dried grass, straw, cellophane and plastic and lined with green leaves – often eucalyptus leaves – just prior to laying.

Nest preparation begins in late August to early September. They can be built in a week but usually take a few weeks. Laying begins in November and is finished by early February; Two peaks to egg laying representing first and second clutches occur in November and January.

The few clutches between these two peaks are either replacement clutches, or clutches laid by inexperienced pairs. Clutch size averages 4 (1-6), the incubation period is 14 days; only the female has a true brood patch. Nestlings fledge 25 (20-32) days after hatching. Both parents feed the fledglings for 2-3 weeks, and approximately 20% of these die before independence. Productivity is about 2 chicks per annum per pair to independence.

Food

Mynas are omnivores.

They consume pasture and crop invertebrates, including some that are crop pests. Also nightshade fruit and other fruit, especially berries.

They peck at the flesh of ripe karaka fruit rather than swallowing the whole fruit.

Mynas are most often seen along roads, where they seek road-killed insects. They often frequent refuse dumps in winter, seeking food scraps, and flock onto paddocks being ploughed. Mynas also take nectar, and are sometimes seen with orange flax pollen on their foreheads.

Waiheke Locations

Waiheke road sides – Playing chicken with cars while collecting road killed insects.

Perching on fences and branches

The Myna are flying birds so they can really be anywhere on Waiheke but not just Waiheke they are all over New Zealand, these are just areas I’ve spotted them and photographed.