| Common hill myna | |
|---|---|
| |
| G. religiosa at Satchari National Park, Habiganj District, Bangladesh | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: | Gracula |
| Species: | G. religiosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gracula religiosa | |
| |
| Distribution of various forms within the species complex | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Gracula indica (but see text) | |
The common hill myna (Gracula religiosa), sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as the hill myna or myna bird, is the myna most commonly sighted in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is a member of the starling family (Sturnidae), resident in hill regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Sri Lanka hill myna, a former subspecies of G. religiosa, is now generally accepted as a separate species G. ptilogenys. The Enggano hill myna (G. enganensis) and Nias hill myna (G. robusta) are also widely accepted as specifically distinct, and many authors favor treating the southern hill myna (G. indica) from the Nilgiris and elsewhere in the Western Ghats of India as a separate species.
The common hill myna is a popular talking bird. Its specific name religiosa may allude to the practice of teaching mynas to repeat prayers.[3]
- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Gracula religiosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T103878755A135865132. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T103878755A135865132.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Bertram, Brian (1970). "The Vocal Behaviour of the Indian Hill Mynah, Gracula religiosa". Animal Behaviour Monographs. 3: 79. doi:10.1016/S0066-1856(70)80003-6.
The specific name religiosa probably results from the old practice, in Bengal particularly, of teaching captive Hill Mynahs to utter short prayers.