Latin Name:
Gracula religiosa
Status:
Least Concern
Food:
Their favourite fruits are figs but they eat many different kinds of berries and seeds, plus insects and lizards when they can catch them.
Distribution:
Asia including India, China, Myanmar and Indonesia
Interesting Fact:
Their choice of food helps the pollination of flowers, and to disperse seeds.
Hill Mynah
Mynah birds are arboreal frugivores, meaning that they live in trees and eat fruit.
Hill Mynahs have an amazing ability to copy sounds and were very popular as pets in the 70s and 80s. Now wild birds are no longer allowed to be imported into the EU, and as the pets rarely bred, the species is not often seen in Europe. Sadly they are still caught and traded in other countries and, like many Asian bird species, there are fears for their future in the wild.
Three pairs of Mynahs arrived at Paradise Park in early 2021 – we offered them a home as they were part of an illegal consignment seized by authorities in Europe in 2020. Initially Birdworld in Surrey housed and cared for the birds, meanwhile the zoo community set up a Europe wide management plan so they could be bred in collections as a zoo bank for this fascinating species.
We were happy that in their first year at Paradise Park two pairs produced chicks.
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