Sri Lanka Myna
Gracula ptilogenys
Rotund, medium-sized black starling with yellow wattles on the nape, a stout, bicolored bill, and white flashes in the wing. Typically in small groups in the canopy of hill forest, and nearby gardens and woods. Note dark-based, bicolored bill, and only two wattles restricted to the nape, unlike similar Southern Hill Myna. Calls include a strident, downslurred “chewp”, given once or repeatedly, shorter in length than Southern Hill Myna. Also gives various rasping notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Gracula ptilogenys
- Authority
- Blyth, 1846
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Gracula
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-winged Woodpecker
Piculus simplex
Fairly small woodpecker, overall olive-green with bright red crown and mustache. Barred belly. Female similar to male but shows red only on nape. Both sexes have pale eye. Don’t look for rufous in the wing, it’s very subtle! Found in forests and edges, singly or in pairs.
Rosy Bee-eater
Merops malimbicus
A nomadic and locally migratory bee-eater of rainforests, savannas, rivers, and glades, where it can be seen flying high overhead or perched high in trees. Distinctive, with long triangular wings, rosy pink underparts, a black eye-line, a clean white moustache, and evenly gray upperparts. Voice is similar to those of other bee-eaters, including hoarse “tik” and “trrp” calls. Nests in sandy riverbanks and sandbars, where colonies can comprise over 20,000 pairs.
Plumed Guineafowl
Guttera plumifera
A large, shy black gamebird with ornate white spots, found in tall, open understory of tropical lowland forest. Named for the conspicuous plume of black feathers on top of its head, this species also possesses a distinctive dark and featherless face. Vocalizations are not well described, but appear to consist of quacking cackles and raucous, nasal “kak-kak-kak” series. Range overlaps only with the smaller Black Guineafowl, which has a mostly naked bright red head and lacks the Plumed Guineafowl’s crest and conspicuous white spotting.
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