What Do Mynah Birds Eat and How to Raise Them So They Talk? A Detailed Guide to Care

The mynah is a bird with black plumage and white patches on its wings. It is fairly common in the south, and many people like to keep it as a pet bird at home because it can imitate people talking. What many do not realize is that it is also a very important beneficial bird for agriculture and forestry. So what does a mynah bird usually eat? How do you raise it so it will talk?

1. What does a mynah bird usually eat?

For adult mynah birds, egg-and-rice mixture is the staple food. Each morning, feed a soft food made by mixing minced meat, fruit (cut into small pieces) and powdered feed (the same as for the hwamei) in a soft-food dish; the amount should be limited to what it can finish within 1—2 hours. For young birds, the feed can be made into a paste by adding water to the powdered feed and minced meat, or by mixing with banana. Roll it into small balls and hand-feed, 5—8 times a day. Once the bird can eat on its own, switch to soft food, and after its feathers are fully grown, add egg-and-millet mixture.

Generally, add 4-6 eggs per kilogram of rice, along with an appropriate amount of ants, leather beetles, shredded lean meat, tender greens, banana, and so on. Mynahs have strong digestion and a fairly large appetite.

2. How do you tell male from female mynahs?

1. Sexing young birds before they begin to call. First, look at the body: the larger-bodied one is male, the smaller one is female. Second, look at the head shape: a large, flat head indicates a male; a small, round head indicates a female. Third, look at the beak shape: a thick, long beak indicates a male; a thin, short beak indicates a female. Fourth, look at the skin color of the beak and legs: the male's beak is jade white and its legs are flesh-red; the female's beak and legs are both gray. By combining these morphological features, you can sex young mynah birds.

2. Sexing adult birds. Sexing adult mynahs mainly relies on listening to their calls, followed by differences in morphology. The male's song is beautiful and rousing, while the female's song is lower and not very pleasant to the ear. Adult males and females have the same plumage color, but morphologically, the male has a larger, slightly flat head, a slightly thicker and longer jade-white beak, and flesh-red or yellow legs; the female has a smaller, rounder head, a thin, slightly short gray beak, and gray or pale yellow legs. Looking at the cloaca, there is a clear difference between males and females on the outside: the female's cloaca is flatter than the male's, surrounded by a loosely arranged ring of small feathers; the male's cloaca protrudes as a small cylindrical bump, with a tuft of small feathers at the tip of the protrusion. Experienced bird keepers can determine the sex of an adult or young bird simply from whether the cloaca is flat or protruding. Feel the cloaca with your hand: if it is flat, it is female; if you feel a distinct protrusion, it is male.

3. How do you raise a mynah bird so it will talk?

1. The best period for training a mynah to speak: when the young bird is about 3-4 months old and begins to molt; once it is about halfway through the molt, you can begin training it to speak.

2. Equipment for training a mynah: generally a radio-cassette recorder or a repeater can be used for training; of course, training it in person is even better.

3. Time for training a mynah: in the morning or evening, 20-30 minutes a day, for about 30-45 consecutive days. Once the mynah's crest is fully grown, a clever mynah will begin to learn to speak.

1. Training phrases: generally, two-character, three-character and four-character phrases are easier to learn, such as hello, welcome, wishing you prosperity, have you eaten, what are you doing, are you going to work, goodbye, and so on. Each phrase is usually learned in about a month. Phrases of five characters or more are harder to learn. You need to train with patience.