Gracula religiosa
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The common hill myna (Gracula religiosa), sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as the hill myna or myna bird, is a species of starling found in the hills of South 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 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 sacred prayers. The common hill myna is one of the most commonly spotted birds in Asian aviculture.
The common hill myna was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Gracula religiosa. The type location is the Indonesian island of Java. The genus name is from Latin graculus, an unknown bird sometimes identified as the western jackdaw. The specific epithet religiosa is from Latin religiosus meaning... Wikipedia →
Recording0:17
Malaysia · 2021
© ChanSK · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Malaysia · 2021
© limyanfeng · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Singapore · 2026
© Animotions · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 7 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 11 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hill Myna sighting in Chitwan National Park on a given day, based on 171 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 130th most-seen of the 367 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hill Myna in Chitwan National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–January, the lowest months. That is one of Chitwan National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 660 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Hill Myna sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
10th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Common Hill Myna sightings, Chitwan National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Khao Yai National Park (Thailand, about 30%), Namdapha National Park (India, about 30%) and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 20%).
Same family: Sturnidae
The closest relatives of the Common Hill Myna that you can see in Chitwan National Park (family Sturnidae, Starlings) are Jungle Myna (about 50%), Indian Pied Starling (about 50%) and Chestnut-tailed Starling (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Hill Myna is recorded against all the birds logged in Chitwan National Park (171 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
