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The Common Mynah, native to South
Asia, was introduced to Hawaii in 1865 to control an infestation of
army worms. There are more than a dozen mynah species, including the
Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa), a prized exotic bird known for
its ability to imitate human speech. The Common Mynah is ubiquitous in
Honolulu although relatively unappreciated by local residents as
evidenced by its Hawaiian names: Those whose lives have been
touched by Manu would surely agree with the comments of the
ornithologist, E. L. Caum: "The mynah is a perky, self-confident,
pugnacious, and noisy bird, in many of its actions and antics
disconcertingly human. It is gregarious, and the large flocks that
gather at roosting time are most noisy and quarrelsome. It is
omnivorous in its tastes, eating house scraps, fruit, grain, insects,
and grubs of all kinds.... Everything considered, although it must be
admitted that the mynah can be and frequently is a nuisance, an
impartial observer would be forced to the conclusion that the bird's
advantages to the islands are popularly decidedly underrated, while its
disadvantages are overemphasized." Manu's vocabulary consists of cute,
what? and come on. He has also mastered the wolf
whistle and his use of it is gender indiscriminate. 1999 update: Manu is still doing well, though he suffered a broken leg at the beginning of this year (1999). He turned 5 years old this past May. He also has a new companion -- a Common mynah named Makamai (a Hawaiian word meaning "precious"). Maka came to us injured and quite sick after having fallen from her nest. She turned one year old this past summer and she has grown to be a very healthy bird. Both Manu and Maka are delightful companions and we feel very fortunate to be able to share in their lives. 2000 update on Manu and Maka --- including more new mynah friends:
Sweety: age 6 years -- she was found about the same time as Manu and belongs to another person at U.H. We care for her on weekends. (Photo not yet available) Skinny B: age 2 years -- he was found on February 13, 1999 at an outdoor campus eating area stealing food from patrons, a behavior most uncharacteristic of the ever-wary mynah... His vocabulary is incredible, at one point we estimated that he knew 20 - 30 distinct phrases. It turned out that he was an escaped pet whose owner, when found, was not able to take him back. (She did fill us in on his history: he came to her as an abandoned nestling, about a year before his escape, and he had been wild about 5 weeks when we found him.) His first words when offered a cage were "good boy!" followed shortly thereafter with "boca" (pronounced bo-cha) which is the word used for bath in local families with young children. Skinny B or Skinny Beany or Speeb, as he calls himself, has a phenomenal vocabulary and repertoire of phrases and sounds learned from his first home. He greets people with "hi babe, whatcha doing" and "who loves skinny baby?" Unfortunately, his time in the wild seems to have left him somewhat aggressive, but he is very slowly becoming more relaxed and learning to trust us. Mele and Pono: age 6 months -- these two were found on March 22, 2000 with a dead adult other dead babies after tree trimmers destroyed their nest. Both have crippled legs but they are adapting well and belong to a loving family. Mele and Pono are thriving despite being extremely young and featherless. Here are their pictures as they grow into healthy adult mynahs. (Photos not yet available) Brad Jones Computer Network and Support Facility Pacific Biomedical Research Center University of Hawaii The
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Manu is a
Common Mynah (Acridotheres
tristis tristis) who fell out of his nest when he was about two
weeks old (in 1994). He was found on the ground in the middle of
the night being attacked by a cat. Despite serious injuries and
occasional ineptitude on the part of his new parents, Manu has grown
into a handsome, intelligent and lively adult mynah.