Myna Bird Invasion - Photographs of Various Species and Video of White Myna and of Talking Myna

White Bali Myna

(Internet Photograph)

This white Bali Myna is so beautiful and it is my favorite species of Myna birds.  I have never seen one in "real life", however,   I stumbled across it by accident on the internet.  All myna (or mynah) birds belong to the starling family, particularly all those called Myna are in the Indian subcontinent.

Below is a video of this endangered bird.

Below are some of my own photographs that I took of the common myna, or Indian myna, here on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.  

The common myna with the extra white plumage got my curiosity up so I tried to find information about it on the internet, to no avail.   I guess it is a rare case of too much white on this species.   At any rate, that is how I discovered the white Bali myna on the web.  In 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission declared the common myna one of the world's most invasive species.   I am not really fond of these birds; they are noisy and have an ugly screech.   There was one myna I enjoyed, though, not long after I moved to Hawaii.   I first lived in Makiki suburb, which was home to a myna that used to give frequent wolf whistles.   I heard it often from where I lived, and it was great to get a wolf whistle from him when I walked down the street !  <Sigh !  Big grin.>  I attended a church not too far from my apartment, and one Sunday that whistling myna was interrupting our Sunday School class so much that the preacher's wife  also interrupted the study and said something to the effect of "Who taught that bird to whistle?"  (It has been several years since that incident so I cannot remember all of her exact words.)   The windows were open in our class so we got a good earful.  :-)

Below is a video of a talking myna bird.  He rather charms me into liking him.

In Hawaii the common or Indian myna is everywhere to be found on all of the islands.  It was first introduced from India in 1865 to control the insect population.   It is about 9 inches and both the male and female look pretty much alike.   When it flies you really notice the white wing patches.

They are very social birds and travel in pairs.   They gather in large groups and roost in trees.   They breed from February to August and they raise one to three broods a year.   They lay two to five eggs in each brood.   Incubation time is over 13 days and the babies fledge  sometime  later between 29 to 35 days.

Below are some photographs from the Internet of other species of Mynas.

White-necked Myna

Brahminy Myna

Sri Lanka Hill Myna

Red Vented Bulbul - Drama on Oahu, Hawaii

Red Vented Bulbul in Palm Tree

Photograph by Carol Reynolds

Red Vented Bulbuls (pycnonotas cafer) are quite common on the island of Oahu.  They are considered a harmful invasive species as they wreck havoc on gardens and fruits and causes over $300,000 damage annually to orchids here.    There are several orchid growers on this island.   Red vented Bulbuls eat other things besides flowers and flower buds; they also eat fruit and vegetables as well as insects and even small lizards.   I took the photograph above from off my patio (they are called lanai here in Hawaii).   There is a big drama going on above in the palm trees just beyond my lanai.   See photo below.

Anyone familiar with palm trees knows that when they have orange and/or brown "leaves" that that means it is dying and will soon fall off the tree.   Can you see the bulbul in this tree?  A pair has built a nest on this dying palm leaf.   It was green when they began the nest.    Look below.

See the nest ?   At this point I believe there are only eggs in the nest, because the male and female take turns sitting on it and there is no constant back and forth like there would  be if the eggs had hatched and they were feeding babies.   

I wish I could do something to help.   I called the number for a bird/animal rescue place, and the woman said nature would just have to take its course,   These were probably young parents and they will have to learn the hard way to build their nest somewhere else.   Nesting season lasts a long time and soon they will have a new nest and new eggs. 

The photograph directly above gives you a good look at the Red Vented Bulbul's nice crest.

I took all the above photos this morning while on my lanai.   Later in this post is a video by someone else from You Tube, showing baby bulbuls being fed by the parents.  I wanted to give you a little more information about this aggressive bird first.     They are just a tad over 8 inches in size, and so far are found only on Oahu and the big island of Hawaii.  They are an alien introduced species to Hawaii and were originally from tropical southern Asia, as in India and Burma and China and I believe Pakistan as well.   The male and female bulbul look alike.   

On Oahu there is also found the Red Whiskered Bulbul, which are a bit smaller and, in my opinion, a lot prettier as they are lighter in color.   

I hope, after the nest falls , that "my" bulbuls stay near my area.   I enjoy their beautiful songs and their comings and goings.   They chase smaller finches and other birds away from what they consider their territory.    

Below is a video of bulbuls,     Enjoy !

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Scenic Hawaii Videos (Flowers, Birds, Ocean and Landscape)

Hawaiian Black-Crowned Night Heron

Photo by Carol Reynolds

The Hawaiian Black-crowned Night Heron is very similar to those on the mainland and in other countries.   For my blog post about this bird go here

The first video below has footage of the Nene , Hawaii's state bird, as well as other birds and various flowers.  I thought maybe you would like more information about Nene shown here

Enjoy the beauty of Hawaii in these two videos!

If you view these videos, you will see they are not my own.   I intend to post  videos of my own soon.   

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Alien or Introduced Birds of Hawaii (Finches and Common Waxbill)

"God loved the birds and invented trees.   Man loved the birds and invented cages."  - Jacques Deval

Yellow-Fronted Canary

The yellow-fronted canary is very common in Hawaii. I have seen most of the ones I have photographed on Oahu at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.  They are native to Africa and were introduced to Hawaii in the 1960's.

Below is a painting of mine which includes one of these canaries.  

"Contemplating Life"

9" x 12" oil on canvas

Available

In this painting is a little story:  the beautiful and sweet canary can wreck havoc on the butterfly and the lady bug in the painting.   Life is sometimes cruel and also fragile.  I based the title of this painting on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8...... "To everything there is a season....." 

Saffron Finch

I photographed this beautiful Saffron Finch in the artsy town of Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu.  They are suppose to be more common on the Big Island of Hawaii than on Oahu; I have only seen them in 2 or 3 other areas of Oahu. They are 7 inches and mostly yellow with orange on the forecrown.   They were introduced in the 1960's from South America.    I get a big thrill whenever I see them.   

Common Waxbill

Not the best photograph, but I have my mind set on a future painting with this reference photo and I can make improvements then.

Common Waxbill

The Common Waxbill is a tiny little 4" bird that  is found in small flocks and they are fast and furious when they fly.  They are very shy and very common on Oahu.   They are native to Africa.  They are not an especially pretty bird, but I find them cute and charming and enjoy watching them.

Java Sparrows

Java Sparrow

The Java Finch or Java Sparrow is quite a handsome bird as far as I am concerned, and remind me of Puffins.    They are literally everywhere on Oahu, and on the Big Island of Hawaii as well as Maui .  These birds also travel in large flocks.  They are native to Indonesia.   

The House Finch as well as the House Sparrow have also "invaded" Hawaii.   I love all of these birds and they remind me of the mainland USA, but so many of the native birds of Hawaii have suffered because of these and other introductions (like the mongoose - that is a subject for another post) and several native birds have become extinct.

We can learn a lot from nature and birds.   For instance,  you have never seen a bird sitting on a wire or a tree branch having a nervous breakdown wondering about the next meal !  Reminds me of Matthew 6:25, 26 where it says that the heavenly Father takes care of the birds of the air; and also in Matthew 10:29-31 where it says we are worth more than many sparrows to Our Father.   He will take care of us and provide for us; just trust and have faith. 

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Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens Oahu Hawaii - Photos And Video Of Plants, Flowers, Birds

Lagersteromia flowers and Koolau Mountains

Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens covers 400 acres on the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii.   Its Hawaiian name translated means "to make a place of peace and tranquility."  It was built and designed to provide flood protection for the city of Kaneohe and has a 32 acre lake on the property, which is essentially a rain forest garden.  Last month I visited this beautiful area again with my son, his wife, and a friend.   Below are a few photographs I took that day.

I was fascinated by this tree at the lake and may even put it in one of my paintings someday.  I wish I knew what kind of tree it is; I may do some research on that.

Above is a photo of my beautiful daughter-in-law with allamanda blossoms and above her is another shot of this lovely flower.  Most people are familiar with the yellow variety of this tropical flower.  

Hawaiian Coot and Black-crowned night heron at the lake

The above shots are of what I believe to be The Hawaiian Duck, or Koloa Maoli, which is endemic to Hawaii's larger islands.   They have interbred so much with the local Mallards that it is hard to find a "true" Koloa except on the island of Kauai.   

I must take some of my own videos to post here !   In the meantime, below is a wonderful video by Waydes World which gives excellent coverage of Hoomaluhia Gardens.

Thank you for visiting!

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