The long-tailed myna (''Mino kreffti'') is a member of the

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus '' Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...

family. It is native to the Bismarck and Solomon archipelagos. It resembles the

yellow-faced myna The yellow-faced myna (''Mino dumontii'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in New Guinea and nearby smaller islands, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The long-tailed myna ...

, and the two were formerly considered

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organis ...

. Its binomial name commemorates Gerard Krefft, Australian

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

and

palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

Description

Going on standard measurements and length, this very large

myna The myna (; also spelled mynah) is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Several species have been introduced to areas like ...

is one of the largest member of the diverse family Sturnidae, behind only perhaps the

Nias hill myna The Nias hill myna or Nias myna (''Gracula robusta'') is a member of the starling family. It is an endemic resident of Nias and other nearby islands off western Sumatra. Clements lumps this species with the common hill myna. Description This l ...

. It measures in length. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is , the

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammal ...

is , the culmen is and the tarsus is . No known weights have been reported. These measurements are just slightly larger on average than the closely related

and indicate the species is around three times as massive as the common starling.''Starlings & Mynas (Helm Identification Guide)'' by Chris Feare. A&C Black (1998). . The long-tailed myna mainly has purple-glossed black plumage. It has bright orange-yellow patches of naked skin around each eye. It has a yellow lower belly and white wing patches, which are obvious in flight. The rump and undertail are white and the strong bill is bright yellow.

Behaviour

The long-tailed myna nests in tree holes, often in palms. The eggs are pale blue with delicate reddish or grey markings. This myna is arboreal, and is found alone or in pairs in open lowland forests and plantations. It feeds mainly on fruits and

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

. It is a conspicuous and vocal species with a wide range of whistles and squawks.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3728750 long-tailed myna Birds of the Bismarck Archipelago Birds of the Solomon Islands long-tailed myna long-tailed myna