Search

Stars in their eyes – Common Myna

YC Wee
on 1st January 2018

MynaC-Nepal [AmatSingh]

“At times you need to go to foreign land to better appreciate a bird in our own home. I have always valued common birds but not looked hard into the iris of the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis tristis) until I met some friendly ones in Nepal (above).

MynaC-Nepal [AmatSingh]

“I was surprised to note a circular array of silvery white spots in a close-up view (above, below). It was present in all the Common Mynas I saw in Nepal.

MynaC-Nepal [AmatSingh]

“Looking back at all my images of birds in Malaysia, the same feature is also present. However the pattern and density of the spots varies. I searched on line and came across this lovely article: Feare, Edwards, Taylor, et al. Stars in their eyes: iris colour and pattern in Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis on Denis and North Islands, Seychelles. Bull. B.O.C. 2015 135(1). Available for download HERE.

MynaC-Nepal [AmatSingh]

“Truly stars in their eyes; so much more to learn about the ‘common’ birds. Also note the clear black marking at the base of the lower mandible, also variable in intensity and occasionally a bit bluish.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
7th November 2017

Location: Dhampus, Gandaki Zone, Western Region, Nepal, 1800m ASL
Habitat: Small village with secondary growth

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

Bird Society of Singapore: A credible alternative to the Nature Society’s Bird Group

11th December 2023

Singapore-Nature: 17. Citizen Science

30th August 2023

Singapore-Nature: 16. Living close to nature

18th August 2023

Singapore’s secret “garden”

20th July 2023

Singapore-Nature: 15. Looking versus studying birds

12th July 2023

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Comments
Categories
Archives
Links

Overall visits (since 2005)

Live visitors
443
5177
Visitors Today
52033983
Total
Visitors

Clustrmaps (since 2016)

Site Announcements

Welcome to our new home: besgroup.org

Thanks to your continued support in making the website one of the top bird behaviour blogs around, we now have a dedicated domain.

Any views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

© 2024 Bird Ecology Study Group
Facebook