Sri Lanka Myna

The Sri Lanka myna, or Ceylon hill myna, is a starling endemic to Sri Lanka, typically found in forest and cultivation. These birds are 25 cm long with green-glossed black plumage, purple-tinged on the head and neck, large white wing patches obvious in flight, strong bright yellow legs and yellow wattles on the nape (Wikipedia, species account).

The different wattles and the stouter orange-red bill separate it from the southern hill myna, which also occurs in Sri Lankan forests. The sexes look alike but differ in iris colour, pale in females and dark in males. It nests in a hole, normally with two eggs, and is fairly omnivorous. Nationally Vulnerable (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).