Crested Myna - starling family

Vancouver is the only place in North America
where this member of the starling family
can be found. The Crested Myna was
introduced to the city from its native
Southeast Asia in 1897, and its popula-
tions peaked in the late 1920s at about
20,000 birds. Since then, its numbers
have been decreasing steadily, partly
because of competition with its rel-
ative, the European Starling. Today
less than 100 Crested Mynas can be
found around Vancouver.
Look for a black, robin-sized bird
with a small crest on its forehead.
On urban lawns and around fast-
food drive-in restaurants are good
places to look. In winter, some mynas
still roost each evening on bridges, such
as the Burrard and Cambie Street
bridges. In spring, nests may be built in
any suitable cavity: a bird box, a drain
pipe, a lamp post or even a loose brick in
a building.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Red-necked Grebes

Image
Red-necked Grebes spend each autumn and winter foraging in the salty marine waters off Vancouver. In the spring, they move inland to breed in freshwater lakes as far away as Alaska or Saskatchewan. Good places to observe these birds are from the Iona Island South Jetty and from the Stanley Park seawall, especially in September and April. Here, you can observe them diving below the surface of the water for sculpins, Pacific herring, minnows, shrimp and other aquatic animals.
Read more

Black Swift

The Black Swift is the largest North American swift, and it also outsizes all swallows in the Vancouver area. One of the positive aspects of approaching summer storms in Vancouver is that the low pressure systems force this bird low over the city where it catches flying insects. During warm, clear days, it is a challenging bird to locate because it forages at such a height that it appears as a mere speck against the blue sky. This bird breeds in B.C. but because it nests on remote, moist, rocky crevices only a few nesting sites have been confirmed. Black Swifts appear to time nesting so that their young can take advantage of the abundance of flying ants available in August and early September.
Read more

Black-bellied Plover

You will have to travel south of the city to the mudflats and fields of the Fraser River delta to see a Black-bellied Plover. Plan your visit at high tide when the plovers are pushed closer to shore. You may hear the plaintive pee-u-wee calls that help to keep flocks loosely together. Black-bellied Plovers are most common during migratory periods from late April through early May and from early August through September. Up to 1000 birds may remain over winter, but they are generally difficult to find. Like many other shorebirds, the Black-bellied Plover feeds in a typical stop-run-pick manner. On its arctic breeding ground it feeds mainly on insects, but its diet expands to include worms, small clams and crustaceans during migration.
Read more