The mynah (crested mynah) is a common ornamental bird in southern China, with plumage that is mainly black overall, a tuft of upright crest feathers on the forehead, and obvious white patches on the wings in flight. It is deeply loved by bird keepers mainly because it is good at imitating human speech and various sounds, has a pleasant song, and likes to interact with people.

Many people assume that once a mynah speaks, it understands the meaning of the words, but this is a misunderstanding. The mynah does not have human language ability; it relies on a well-developed syrinx and a flexible mouth to imitate the sounds it usually hears, which is an innate imitation behavior. The more skilled the imitation, the more it sounds like human speech, but it cannot truly understand word meaning.

Training a mynah to speak should start from a young bird, as young birds are more malleable and more likely to accept training. Training is mostly done in the quiet environment of early morning, first teaching simple two- or three-character words, repeating the same word over and over, and appropriately pairing it with food rewards. Teach only one phrase at a time, and after it has learned it and says it steadily, then teach new content; by all means avoid being greedy for more and rushing.

For daily feeding, special feed can be combined with egg millet, fruit and a small amount of insects to ensure balanced nutrition, while cleaning the birdcage frequently and keeping drinking water clean. It should be noted that the mynah has been included in the national protected list of terrestrial wildlife with important ecological, scientific and social value, so artificially bred individuals should be legally obtained through proper channels; do not capture wild mynahs without authorization, and it is best to understand the relevant local regulations before keeping one.