Southern Hill Myna

Southern Hill Myna

Gracula indica

Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

318 Verified sightings at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
6,055 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Southern Hill Myna

The southern hill myna (Gracula indica) is a member of the starling family. It is a resident of the forested regions of south India and Sri Lanka. This species moves around in flocks in the forest, and members of a flock keep in contact with a wide range of vocalizations.

The French word for the bird mainate is probably derived from the Indo-Portuguese mainato, from the name of a songbird living near water, and is probably a metaphor since it refers to a man whose job is to wash the clothes of others.

The southern hill myna has a shiny black plumage. It generally measures about twenty centimeters. It can live between 15 and 30 years. The legs are yellow, the beak is bright orange at the base and yellow at the tip. It has white spots on the primary remiges. Like other species of hill myna, the southern hill myna has yellow wattles on the head.

The southern hill myna is present in southwestern India and Sri Lanka. It inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, mountains, mangrove forests and plantation areas. It is usually found high in the canopy, moving in large noisy groups of about half a dozen, in treetops... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:26

India · 2023

© JISHNU KIZHAKKILLAM · XC783988 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Uncertain0:34

India · 2021

© Vijay Ramesh · XC615784 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:02

India · 2020

© Prakash G · XC564482 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
2 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
3 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
5 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
6 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
7 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
8 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~10%
2 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Bird Paradise 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
2 Rainforest Wild Asia 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
3 Waddesdon Aviary 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Hill Myna in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Hill Myna sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 318 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 85th most-seen of the 204 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Southern Hill Myna in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

February–April and August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Hill Myna in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and September–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Southern Hill Myna?

Between 3 and 6 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern 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.

Is Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] the best place to see a Southern Hill Myna?

2nd of 2

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Southern Hill Myna sightings, Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Thrissur (India, about 10%).

Where does the Southern Hill Myna sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Southern Hill Myna is recorded against all the birds logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (318 verified sightings), 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.

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