Greater Hill Mynah
Sir David Attenborough presents the mimic specialist Greater Hill Mynah from Asia.
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents the mimic specialist Greater Hill Mynah from Asia. Like many members of the starling family, Greater Hill Mynah's are superb mimics with a remarkable ability to reproduce the tones of the human voice. This makes them popular as cage and now some wild populations have been severely reduced by collecting. Hill mynahs are not just vocally outstanding. They're dapper looking birds too; glossy purplish-black with a white wing-patch and wattles of bright yellow skin under their eyes and around the back of their necks. The wild birds don't impersonate people though; it's only those captive birds which are amongst some of the best mimics of the human voice.
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Greater Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa intermedia)
Webpage image courtesy of Rod Williams / naturepl.com.
Β© Rod Williams / naturepl.com
Broadcasts
- Wed 31 Dec 2014 05:58Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Sun 4 Jan 2015 08:58Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Tue 1 Dec 2015 05:58Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Tue 2 Apr 2019 05:58Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Wed 9 Sep 2020 05:58Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
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