Common Hill Myna
Gracula religiosa
Also called Hill myna, Hill mynah, Indian hill myna, Talking myna
From South and South-east Asia: from the Himalayan foothills of India, Nepal and Bhutan through South-east Asia to southern China, Indonesia and Palawan in the Philippines. It lives in forest edges up to about 2,000 m.1
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Feathered; stocky starling-family songbird with bare head wattles
A sturdy, glossy black bird with a green and purple sheen, bright orange-yellow bill and legs, and fleshy yellow-orange wattles and bare skin patches on the sides of the head and nape. White wing patches flash in flight. Males and females look the same; young birds have a duller bill.1
Personality what they are like
A lively, outgoing and sociable bird. It is famous for copying human speech, household sounds and whistled tunes with remarkable accuracy. Hand-raised youngsters that meet many people and situations tend to settle in best.21
Daily activity how busy a day looks
High. Mynas hop rather than climb, so they need room to move along perches and the cage floor, plus daily interaction and out-of-cage time.21
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Mynas love to bathe daily, which is messy, so place the bath where splashes are easy to clean. They eat a lot of moist food, so droppings are loose and frequent; covering nearby walls and floors makes cleaning easier.2
Home where they are happiest
A wide, long cage suited to a hopping bird; VCA recommends at least 60 cm tall by 90 cm wide by 90 cm long, with easy-clean surfaces around it.2
Food basics what goes in the bowl
An omnivore that eats fruit, nectar and insects in the wild. Pet mynas eat a large amount of moist food including plenty of fruit; ask an avian vet for a suitable softbill diet.12
Company who they like around
Very social. Wild birds move in small, noisy groups in the treetops, and pets need daily company and engagement.12
The story where it all began
Linnaeus named the species in 1758 from a Javan specimen. Its name religiosa may refer to the old custom in Bengal of teaching mynas to recite prayers. It has been a popular cage bird across Asia for centuries because of its talent for speech.1
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is often ranked alongside the African grey parrot as one of the best bird mimics of human speech.1
- 2
Wild hill mynas are not known to copy other birds, even though pets copy people so well.1
- 3
Each bird uses between 3 and 13 call types, and local call dialects change over distances of about 15 km.1
- 4
It moves along branches with sideways hops.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern.1
- CITES
- Appendix II (since 1997; Appendix III from 1992).1
- Taxonomy
- Described by Linnaeus in 1758; nine subspecies recognised.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Common Hill Myna. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Cage linerevery 2 days
- Full cleanevery week
- Bath offerevery 3 days
- Nails checkevery month
- Beak checkevery month
- Toy rotationevery week
- Out-of-cage timeAbout 2 hours a dayevery day
- Vet check-upevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Common hill myna - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for description, length, range, subspecies, taxonomy, mimicry, behaviour, diet, status, history
- Mynah Birds - General - VCA Animal Hospitals vcahospitals.comused for weight, length, lifespan, personality, cage size, diet, bathing, social needs
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.