Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Acridotheres tristis
Family: Rhabdornis, Starlings, and Mynas · Status: Common resident · Size: 24.5–27 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Resident from Central and South Asia, through the Thai-Malay Peninsula to Singapore. Introduced to many parts of the world.
Brown overall with a contrasting black head, yellow bare skin patch around the eye, yellow bill and legs, and white undertail coverts. Large white bases to the primaries conspicuous in flight. Juvenile is duller and browner with a less glossy head. Javan Myna is darker and greyer overall and lacks the bare yellow eye patch.
Open country and villages.
Omnivorous; forages on the ground and in trees. Singapore population has mixed introduced and self-introduced ancestry; listed in IUCN 100 Worst Invasive Alien Species.