Editorial photo #9827974 Human Interest

Acridotheres Fuscus In India

The jungle myna (Acridotheres fuscus) is a myna, a member of the starling family, found patchily distributed across much of the mainland of the tropical Indian Subcontinent Nepal, Bangladesh, and India except the arid zones of India. It has also been introduced either intentionally or accidentally into many other parts of the world including Fiji, Taiwan, the Andaman Islands, and parts of Japan. It has been introduced into the Andaman Islands and Fiji where it was introduced around 1890 to control insect pests in sugarcane. They have expanded on their own into some Pacific Islands such as Niuafo'ou where they are a threat to native bird species such as lories (Vini) with whom they compete especially for nest holes. A wild adult jungle myna bird sits on a dish antenna with a pigeon feather off his orange bill to build a nest at Tehatta, West Bengal; India on march 28, 2023. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)