Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Acridotheres javanicus
Family: Rhabdornis, Starlings, and Mynas · Status: Very common introduced resident · Size: 24–25 cm · Conservation: Vulnerable
Native to Java and Bali; widely introduced to elsewhere in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Dark grey overall with a small frontal crest, pale lemon-yellow iris, orange-yellow bill and legs, and white undertail coverts. White bases to the primaries flash in flight. Juvenile is browner and duller with a shorter frontal crest. Compared to Common Myna, much darker and greyer overall and lacks the bare yellow skin patch around the eye.
Open habitats, scrub vegetation, forest edge, parks, gardens, and urban areas.
Omnivorous; forages primarily on the ground, occasionally in trees. In pairs and small groups; roosts communally in large tree roosts.