Pied Myna

Sturnus contra

Description

Sturnus contra is medium in size, black and white. The forehead, cheeks, wing line, ridge, and belly are white. The chest, throat, and upper body are black. In juvenile birds, black in adults is still brown. The iris is gray, the skin without hair around the eyes is orange, the beak is red with a white tip, yellow legs. The color of the feathers of male birds and female birds looks the same. Both male and female birds love to sing, and can imitate the sounds of other birds.

Population Size

Unknown

Life Span

-

WEIGHT​

75 – 100 gram

LENGTH

20 – 24 cm

Di

Diurnal

Om

Omnivore

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Aves

ORDER

:

Passeriformes

FAMILY

:

Sturnidae

GENUS

:

Sturnus

SPECIES

:

Sturnus contra

Distribution

Sturnus contra lives in the lowlands, but can also be found in the foothills of hills up to 700 meters above sea level. These birds are mainly found in areas near open water. Prefers open secondary forest with lots of tall trees

Geography

Continent : Asia

Country : India, China, Sumatra, Java and Bali

Habits and Lifestyle

Sturnus contra is usually found in small groups perched on trees or buildings. This species is not afraid of large animals such as cows, and often looks for food in their midst. Birds in a group always make muttering calls with various sounds such as whistles and vibrating sounds. When foraging above ground, often digging into the ground, piercing with the beak to remove food hidden under the ground. When they are about to sleep, these birds make loud noises, and usually sleep at night in large groups and protect each other

Lifestyle

Colonies

Biome

Secondary forest

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

This species feeds on seeds, fruit, insects, insect eggs, small insects, butterflies, earthworms, and mollusks that are usually obtained from the soil.

Diet : Omnivora

Mating Habits

Sturnus contra in Java and Bali generally breed between December – June, although some others breed throughout the year, while July – December is a period of declining marriages. In the breeding season, the number of flocking birds will decrease, because they are looking for each other. To attract its partner, this bird will make a call sound, fluff its feathers and shake its head. The nest is made of loose clumps of straw, which is formed into a dome with an entrance on the side that is placed into a large tree. Lay 4 – 6 eggs, which will hatch after 14 – 15 days. The hatchlings usually stay in the nest for 2 weeks, both parents feed the chicks until they are able to fly and leave the nest after three weeks.

Reproduction session : December – June

Incubation periods: 14 – 15 days

Independent age : the nest after three weeks

Baby name : –

Baby carrying : 4 – 6 eggs

Population

Population status : Least Concern (LC)

NE

DD

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

Population threats​

Many are targeting this species as pets, even though it has been done in captivity, but its breeding is still difficult.

Population number​

Its population in the wild is not known with certainty and is categorized as “Least Concern” conservation status on the IUCN Red List

PHOTO GALLERY

Reference

  1. MacKinnon, J. 1991 . Fields Guide to the Birds Of Java and Bali. Gadjah Mada University Press. Yogyakarta.
  2. Jalak Suren on Wikipedia article