The abroad common blackbird

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I was hoping to come back from my last vacations with tons of photos of different and exotic birds... and no, didn't happen. I did saw quite a few different species, but haven't managed to capture them on camera. Well, it's always a good excuse to go back, right?

Nevertheless, I still managed a few shots of birds that I don't see here. So this week's SMAP theme is perfect, since it's a free theme: time to showcase one of them!


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Common myna - Acridotheres tristis

When I hear about a blackbird here, it's normally... well, the blackbird, Turdus merula! But that doesn't hold true in other parts of the world, as is the case in Singapore! Here, mynahs are some of the common "blackbirds" you can find; "blackbirds" in commas , because at least this species is not exactly black.


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Common mynas are endemic to the country, but for what I've researched their numbers are less now since another mynah, the javan mynah, has been introduced to the country; so it's not the most frequent encountered mynah anymore.

The cool part, they don't seem that scared of humans and can be found easily in urban areas, so they're easy to spot. This was one of the first species I've seen in the country, as I visited a beautiful place called Gardens by the Bay. And there they were, enjoying the gardens as well!


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They're very easy to identify, due to that yellow eye patch, and the brownish body together with white tail tips.


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My camera has a decent zoom, but they were really near, scouting the grass in search of their next meal. And during the search breaks, they were human watching (me)!


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Mynas are invasive species, and they can be found in many places nowadays, including Portugal - I can see crested mynahs on a nearly daily basis where I live. But it's always nice to see them where they're originally from.

Wishing a 2025 full of bird sightings for everyone!

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13 comments
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Javan Moyna is a beautiful bird, very beautiful some photos.Amazing description

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Nice photos 👍 love the yellow around the eyes.

but haven't managed to capture them on camera

This is the age old debate haha does it count if I heard it but didn't see it? does it count if I saw it but didn't photograph it? 😆

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An invasive bird in my part of the world, introduced to our country many years ago, as you mentioned they do know how to make themselves at home.

Intelligent bird some cage then teach to mimic sounds, a nightmare if you have a large tree close that they roost in, pretty noisy aren't they?

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Intelligent for sure! They do have a noisy reputation, but the crested mynahs here seem to be pretty quiet, actually. Maybe some mynahs behave differently! :)

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Indian mynah arrived in South Africa in 1902, captive birds that escaped, now throughout the country in great numbers. Part of the Starling family of which we have six resident in our country plus the Common Mynah making it seven, most definitely like to be heard above the rest.

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I did not know mynas can be found in Portugal.
They are curious, aren't they? And clever too.
Wising you new trips this year in places you haven't been or in places you wish to visit again.🙂

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They sure are. And I could bet there are more than one mynah species that have adapted somewhere else in the country. Thank you for the wishes!!BEER

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