Southern Hill Myna
Gracula indica
Glossy black myna of southern India and Sri Lanka. Note white wing patches, bright orange bill, and yellow head wattles. Inhabits foothill forests, where it is most often encountered high up in the canopy in pairs or small flocks. Gives various croaks and screams, but is less vocally accomplished than the very similar Common Hill Myna, which does not overlap in range.
Identification
The southern hill myna has a shiny black plumage. It generally measures about twenty centimeters. It can live between 15 and 30 years. The legs are yellow, the beak is bright orange at the base and yellow at the tip. It has white spots on the primary remiges. Like other species of hill myna, the southern hill myna has yellow wattles on the head.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Gracula indica
- Authority
- (Cuvier, 1829)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Gracula
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
Although the population is declining it is considered "Least Concern" by the IUCN.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Lesser Horned Owl
Bubo magellanicus
Bulky horned owl of highlands from central Peru south to Tierra del Fuego. Note prominent “horns”, black-bordered face, and densely barred belly. Inhabits a wide variety of habitats, from open forests to farm fields and grasslands. Gives a double hoot, “hoohoo!”, sometimes followed by a low churring series. Sometimes active during the day.
Savanna Nightjar
Caprimulgus affinis
Well-camouflaged nightbird, usually encountered roosting on gravel riverbeds, open areas in grasslands, rooftops, or roadsides. Sometimes found in small loose flocks when roosting. Fairly well adapted to urban life in some parts of its range and often found in towns and city edges. Intricately patterned gray-brown with less white than other nightjars; only males have a fairly small white patch on the wing near the tip. Most often detected by its distinctive, high-pitched, burry “chree-ik” song, repeated over and over.
Sooty Oystercatcher
Haematopus fuliginosus
Heavy-set shorebird with entirely black plumage and long, thick reddish bill. It has a distinctive fleshy red or yellow eye-ring and very thick pale-pink feet and legs. Exclusively coastal, where it can be found walking around on the edge of rocky headlands, on rock shelves, and along rocky beaches on small islands. Typically found in pairs or small groups. Its call is a loud slow whistled "chew", or when agitated a rapidly repeated "squeaky toy" call.
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