Songbirds
There are about 5000 species of songbirds found all over the world. Their vocal organ is developed in such a way where it produces a melodic and intricate song. Their songs communicate the identity and whereabouts of an individual to other birds. It also serves as a mating call. The more intricate the song, the more females he attracts.
Bali Myna
Visuals
The bird's blue bare skin around the eyes are very striking on its white body. Complementing that are its greyish legs and yellow bill. Both male and female look similar.
Location
The Bali Myna, as you can guess from its name, is from Bali. More specifically, the lowland forested areas of North West Bali. It is a unique species to Bali and is not found anywhere else in the wild. Known as Jalak Bali locally, it was discovered in 1910. Fun fact, it is found on the Indonesian 200 rupiah coin.
Habitat
It lives among the treetops for cover. It only comes out to eat in groups when they are young so that there are more eyes to watch out for predators. Their diet includes fruit, seeds, worms and insects.
Breeding
Their breeding season is the same as the rainy season in Bali. Males attract females by calling loudly and bobbing up and down. They nest in tree cavities and have two to three eggs at a time.
Critically Endangered
This species is critically endangered and is still suffering from illegal poaching. In 2001, there are only 6 left recorded in the wild. There are captive breeding programs around the world that are helping this species where 1,000 Bali Mynas live in captivity.
Sources (information):
Photos:
Photos of Bali Myna by Valerie Lee were taken at Jurong Bird Park, Singapore.
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