Bali Myna
Leucopsar rothschildi
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Beautiful and mysterious. The Bali myna is a beautiful, snow-white bird with black tips on wing and tail feathers and striking sky-blue patches of skin around its eyes. The male and female are almost identical, although the delicate, lacy head crest extending down the back of the neck may be a bit longer on the male. Its beauty is probably why this bird's likeness is used in much of the cultural art found on the island of Bali in Indonesia. The Bali myna or Bali starling is found in one small region of Bali, an island that is smaller than the size of Rhode Island.
Scientists discovered the Bali myna in 1912. The bird was originally called the Rothschild’s grackle for Lord Walter Rothschild, a British ornithologist who financed the collecting of this species. The species name rothschildi also reflects his contribution.
Members of the starling family, not a lot of research has been done on wild Bali mynas. What we do know comes mostly from studying the mynas in zoos. During the 1960s and 1970s, several hundred birds were legally brought to the US and Europe to both zoos and private collectors. These birds and their descendants make up the approximately 1,000 birds that live in zoos today.
HABITAT AND DIET
Bali mynas occupy the mountain regions along the north coast of Bali. Usually, the birds are found in flocks of 20 to 30 in those areas not already occupied by other kinds of starlings. They live in the holes of trees and line their nests with leaves, the stems of dried plants, and feathers. In zoos, their nests are home to the several clutches of eggs they may have each year.
In the wild, they seem to breed between November and April, which is the rainy season for Bali. The entire population of Bali mynas usually gathers in the 740-acre (300-hectare) section of Bali Barat National Park to pair up and breed.
Bali mynas eat insects, such as ants and termites, caterpillars, dragonflies, and grasshoppers, and fruit, including figs, papayas, and nectar. They may also eat worms and small reptiles. Insects seem to be most plentiful in Bali during the rainy season, January through April. Perhaps this is why the mynas have their breeding season at that time.
At the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the Bali mynas are fed chopped melon, papaya, and apple, low-iron pellets, and mealworms and crickets.
FAMILY LIFE
Both aggression and courtship are demonstrated similarly: the bird raises its head crest, points its bill to the sky, and bobs its body about. Along with this impressive display are some unique vocalizations, almost defying description. There are deep hisses, trills, and a series of vibrating notes generally accompanied by raucous, whistling chirps. During these songs, the chest is expanded and the plumage fluffed. A fan-shaped spreading of the tail feathers concludes the display.
If courtship is intended, the female sidles closer to the displaying male and preens his neck and chest areas. This attention is rewarded when he preens her in turn.
Bali mynas appear to be monogamous, and once a pair bond has been established, both partners vigorously display and vocalize to announce territorial ownership and discourage intruders. Any invaders are met with persistent aerial chases and attacks. It is generally the male that initiates these flying pursuits, but the female often participates as vigorously as the male.
Prospective parents build a nest together, using grass, small leaves, and feathers, in a natural tree hole. The completed nest has a well-formed cup in the middle for the eggs. Bali mynas may produce two to three clutches during this time with two to three eggs per clutch. The eggs are bluish green, and both the mother and father incubate the eggs. The parents feed the chicks and take turns carrying food back to the nest in their beak. The young fledge in 12 to 28 days and continue to be fed by their parents for a few more weeks. They molt into their adult plumage within a few months after leaving the nest.
source:http://animals.sandiegozoo.org