Bird Album
Indian Pied Myna
Gracupica contra (Linnaeus, 1758)
≈24 cmLength84 gWeight
It is sharply patterned in black and white, with a yellow bill, a red base of the bill and red bare skin around the eye.
Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Bangladesh, Nepal
How to identify
Field marks
- Black throat and breast; white cheeks, wing coverts and rump
- Yellow bill; red base of the bill
- Red bare skin around the eye
Male, female and young
Sexes similar in plumage; the black areas are dark brown in juveniles.
Voice
Small flocks give a rich variety of calls: whistles, trills, buzzing and clicks.
Where and when it's recorded
Indian Pied Myna has been recorded at 197 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia3,128 records
- Okhla Bird SanctuaryIndia1,935 records
- Baruipur MarshesIndia1,688 records
More places
- Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia1,646 records
- Rabindra SarovarIndia1,514 records
- Kanha Tiger Reserve – Mukki GateIndia1,440 records
- IIT BombayIndia1,406 records
- Gujjar Basti, GaindikhataIndia1,390 records
- Budhera Water Treatment PlantIndia1,088 records
- Sultanpur National ParkIndia1,072 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Indian pied myna (Gracupica contra) 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Indian Pied Myna?
The Indian Pied Myna is about ≈24 cm long and weighs around 84 g.
Where does the Indian Pied Myna live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Pakistan to southwestern China. It is most often recorded in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
When is the best time to see the Indian Pied Myna?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Indian Pied Myna endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Indian Pied Myna as Least Concern.
What does the Indian Pied Myna eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Indian Pied Myna in?
It belongs to the family Starlings, Rhabdornises (Sturnidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈24 cm
- Weight
- 84 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 112 mm
- Tail
- 67 mm
- Bill
- 33 mm
- Tarsus
- 33 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Pakistan to southwestern China
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Gracupica contra superciliaris Manipur (ne India), n, c, se Myanmar and sw China
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Starlings, Rhabdornises Sturnidae
- Genus
- Gracupica
Other birds in the genus Gracupica
Black-collared StarlingGracupica nigricollis
Siamese Pied MynaGracupica floweri
Javan Pied MynaGracupica jalla
Metallic StarlingAplonis metallica
Yellow-eyed StarlingAplonis mystacea
Singing StarlingAplonis cantoroides
Tanimbar StarlingAplonis crassa
Atoll StarlingAplonis feadensis
Rennell StarlingAplonis insularis
Long-tailed StarlingAplonis magna
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by bijups. ↗
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