Nature Trees & Birds-Yellow Billed Babbler & Common Myna
3,465 views · Published 3 February 2012 · 6:12 · Indexed 8 November 2026
Channel: Menora James · 2012 · Pets & Animals
Yellow Billed Babbler & Myna are some lovely garden birds that I was able to film during my holiday..They gave a wonderful performance and hope you also liked them :) Yellow-billed Babbler ================ The Yellow-billed Babbler is a common resident breeding bird (Turdoides affinis) and endemic to India and Sri Lanka. Its habitat is scrub, cultivation and garden land. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight and is usually seen calling and foraging in groups. Seven distinctive vocalizations have been noted in this species and this species has a higher pitched call than the Jungle Babbler. The Yellow-billed Babbler lives in flocks of seven to ten or more. It is a noisy bird, and the presence of a flock may generally be known at some distance by the continual chattering, squeaking and chirping produced by its members. One member often perches high and acts as a sentinel while the remaining members of the flock forage on or close to the ground. They feeds mainly on insects, but also eat fruit. They do not fly long distances, the maximum distance flown non-stop was about 180 m and prior to flying, they usually gain height by moving up a tree or tall shrub. Black Drongos, Rufous Treepies and Palm Squirrels are often seen foraging near these babblers. Birds wake up before dawn around 6 AM and begin foraging. They assemble in groups and preen themselves before going to roost. The particularly like to take baths, and may visit birdbaths in their general territories, It builds its nest in a tree, concealed in dense masses of foliage. The majority of nests are placed below a height of four metres. The nest is a small cup placed in a fork of a branch. The normal clutch is two to four turquoise blue eggs, although up to five may be laid by birds in the hills. Predators of the eggs include mongoose, crows and the Greater Coucal which may also prey on chicks. Rat snakes may sometime take chicks. Common Myna ============= The Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) is a member of family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas) native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments. The myna has been introduced in many other parts of the world. The calls includes croaks, squawks, chirps, clicks and whistles, and the bird often fluffs its feathers and bobs its head in singing. The Common Myna screeches warnings to its mate or other birds in cases of predators in proximity or when its about to take off flying.Mynas are popular as cage birds for their singing and "speaking" abilities. Before sleeping in communal roosts, mynas vocalise in unison, which is known as "communal noise".[ Common Mynas are believed to pair for life. They breed through much of the year depending on the location, building their nest in a hole in a tree or wall. The normal clutch size is 4-6 eggs.The Asian Koel is sometimes brood parasitic on this species. The Common Myna uses the nests of woodpeckers, parakeets, etc. and easily takes to nest boxes; it has been recorded evicting the chicks of previously nesting pairs by holding them in the beak and later sometimes not even using the emptied nest boxes. This aggressive behaviour is considered to contribute to its success as an invasive species. The Common Myna is omnivorous. (which feeds mostly on ground-dwelling insects, tropical fruits.It feeds on insects, reptiles, small mammals, seeds, grain and fruits. It forages on the ground among grass for insects, and especially for grasshoppers.
