Bali (Rothschild's) Mynah

Abstract

Sometimes called Rothschild's Grackle or Bali Starling (in Indonesia it is called Jalak putih bali). By any name this has to be the most beautiful of all the starlings. Sexes are alike, especially when immature, although the male is somewhat larger and has a noticeably longer crest. The snow white bodies have black tips to the tail and wingfeathers. The eyes are surrounded by a bright blue mask of bare skin that tapers to a point on the side of the head. The feet are bluegrey, as is the bill with a yellowish tip. Length is about 10 inches (25 cm).

As its name implies, this mynah is found only on the Indonesian island of Bali, which lies just off of the eastern tip of Java. It was unknown until 1912 when it was discovered by Dr. Stressemann. It was nearly 20 years later that it was first bred in captivity by Mr. A. Ezra of England. It's a good thing that these birds are relatively easy to breed, as currently there are thought to be fewer than 30 individuals left in the wild!

The remaining wild birds are confined to Bali Barat National Park where they are, of course, protected. This hasn't deterred poachers from using mist nets and bird lime to trap them. The birds are said to be a status symbol in some parts of Indonesia. Others are smuggled to Europe where they hopefully wind up in the hands of aviculturists.

In November of 1987, the AAZPA (American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums) sent 20 pairs of U.S. bred stock to Surabaya Zoo in central Java. These birds are to be held in captivity and their offspring released into Bali Barat National Park. The poaching will have to be curbed before this occurs. The released birds are to be the responsibility of ICPB (International Council for Bird Preservation), while the AAZPA will be responsible for the propagation center at Surabaya, Java. The AAZPA Bali Mynah Studbook is under the direction of Species Coordinator Bob Seibels of Riverbanks Zoological Park in Columbia, South Carolina. The 1989 Studbook showed 390 Bali Mynahs held by studbook participants. Of these birds, only nine are founders, or wild caught birds, and these are all nearly 20 years old and no longer reproducing. New founder stock is being sought in Europe and the United Kingdom.

We have kept and bred Bali Mynahs since 1984. In order to keep these birds, a CBW (Captive Bred Wildlife) permit is necessary from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. Here in California we are required to have an Injurious Species permit as well. (All starlings with the exception of the Indian Hill Mynah are illegal in CA. Don't ask why!) This state permit has not been easy to obtain. It seems to be at the whim of whomever happens to be in charge at the time of application.

Our Balis are housed in planted aviaries along with various other species of birds, primarily softbills, but we do keep some small lorikeets in one of the flights as well. Starlings have a reputation for being quite aggressive around other, especially smaller birds. Our "best" pair is housed in a 14' x 20' x 10' high aviary. Sharing this flight with three species of barbets, leafbirds, touracos, lorikeets, Pekin Robins and plovers as well as the odd sibia, bulbul, etc. we have had very little problem with aggressiveness. The male mynah tends to be most aggressive when chicks have just hatched or have just fledged. Even then he seems to chase just one or two birds, usually the Fire-tufted Barbets. Our other pair is in a 6' x 16' x 8' high, heavily planted flight along with a pair of Jambo Fruit Doves, a pair of Yellow-vented Bulbuls, and a lone male Green-naped Pheasant Pigeon. This pair is different. They will raise a few young each year, though I tend to find them dead near the food dish at about a week old. When the chicks do fledge, this pair becomes deadly! They have killed a pair of barbets, several plovers and a Ieafbird! The male also beats up on the hen early in the breeding season, which runs from about March through October.