Sri Lanka Myna

The Sri Lanka Myna, Ceylon Myna or Sri Lanka Hill Myna is a myna, a member of the starling family. This bird is endemic to Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, this bird is known in many names including Sela lihiniya, Mal kawadiya, Kampatiya in Sinhala Language. The name Sela Lihiniya is often mentioned in poems and other similar literature and is quoted for its melodious calls. This bird appears in a 10 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp.


Identification  

These 25 cm long birds have green-glossed black plumage, purple-tinged on the head and neck. There are large white wing patches, which are obvious in flight. The strong legs are bright yellow, and there are yellow wattles on the nape. The different shape and position of the wattles and the stouter orange-red bill distinguish this species from the Southern Hill Myna, which also occurs in Sri Lankan forests. 

Behaviour

It lives in scattered colonies, but it does not seem to be quite so gregarious as Salalihiniya (The Common Hill-Mynah), usually occurring in pairs. It loves high trees, and may be found in the heart of tall forests, as well as on estates and village gardens in their neighbourhood. It is a restless bird. The food consists of wild fruits such as banyan, bo and nuga figs, wild nutmegs, and sapu seeds. The breeding season is February-May and a secondary season in August-September. The nest is made in a cavity in a tree-bole or large branch. The two eggs are pale prussian blue, blotched with purplish brown. They measure about 33x25mm.

Locations 

This Grackle inhabits the forests and well-wooded country of the wet zone, ascending the hills, n the wetter districts of the south and west, to at least 6,000 feet. Occasionally it strays into the drier, eastern slopes of the main range, but it is essentially a bird of the wet-zone hills.