Mynah Birds

[js1]

Hey All...

Does anyone know where in Thailand I can find a dealer selling Mynah Birds? I'd like to buy one, possibly two. I won't buy one unless I'm sure they've been captive bred, although I'm not sure how I can be sure of this. Any suggestions or advice?

I live in Phuket, but can travel north if anyone has any leads I can chase up. I've trawled Google with no luck.

TIA

[Goshawk]

Buying? no advice.

But i have a suggestion.. why not simply appreciate the free (both senses of the word) ones you'll undoubtedly already have flying around you naturally.. rather than obtaining one and imprisoning it in a cage..?

[sriracha john]

Hey All...

Does anyone know where in Thailand I can find a dealer selling Mynah Birds? I'd like to buy one, possibly two. I won't buy one unless I'm sure they've been captive bred, although I'm not sure how I can be sure of this. Any suggestions or advice?

I live in Phuket, but can travel north if anyone has any leads I can chase up. I've trawled Google with no luck.

I was informed that mynah birds are a protected bird and sales are illegal in Thailand.

This was confirmed when, prior to my being informed, I sought to purchase one. The bird dealer led me to a far corner of his store and pulled out a cardboard box that was stuffed underneath dusty shelves. Inside of the box, he pulled out the most sickly mynah bird I've ever seen and offered it for 2,000 baht. When I asked why so much for a bird that looked likely not to live out the week and he said because it is illegal to sell them. Subsequently, this was confirmed by a number of other people.

Yes, I know many people have them in their home cages and in the wild they do not appear to be rare in the least (around here, anyway), but they are still protected and their sale illegal.

Edited August 11, 2009 by sriracha john

[js1]

Thanks for letting me know. I assumed they were not illegal as there are quite a few down here.

Rgds

[Erithacus]

I have bought a 4 weeks old Hill Mynah. Does anyone know that a mynah would stop learning new vocabs and sounds after 2 years old?

Others said theirs still learned after 2.

[Pitbullman1]

Hey All...

Does anyone know where in Thailand I can find a dealer selling Mynah Birds? I'd like to buy one, possibly two. I won't buy one unless I'm sure they've been captive bred, although I'm not sure how I can be sure of this. Any suggestions or advice?

I live in Phuket, but can travel north if anyone has any leads I can chase up. I've trawled Google with no luck.

TIA

[Pitbullman1]

I live in Khon Kaen and we recently purchased a beautiful speaking Mynah bird from a pet shop in our city. These birds are on show for all to see and I am told and believe that they are bred purely from captivity and not caught from the wild. Many people own them and show them outside of thier shops. The lady and gentelmen pet shop owners are very polite and can answer all questions of the birds that they have for sale. We paid 3,000 Baht for ours. He is a pure Mynah bird. He has the black glossy feather with a few white feathers on the tips of his wings and the yellow flaps hanging from either side of his face.

I know for a fact that the brown ones which look very similar to a Mynah bird are infact wild and are a protected species.

Any more details please feel free to PM me.

[Goshawk]

He is a pure Mynah bird. He has the black glossy feather with a few white feathers on the tips of his wings and the yellow flaps hanging from either side of his face.

You've described a 'Hill Myna' - which is actually in worrying decline as a wild species in Thailand and is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Yours may have been bred from 'stock' (or not), but its parents.. or theirs..? Somewhere not too far down the line they were taken from the wild (in Thailand)

Capture & sale of these birds is rife. In Mrs Goshawk's village we even have an expert (much to my distaste) bird trapper, although he mainly specialises in Red-whiskered bulbul's.

I know for a fact that the brown ones which look very similar to a Mynah bird are infact wild and are a protected species

they look similar, 'cos they are Myna birds - just a different species to yours. They're Common Myna's to be exact and these are not under any threat or, as far as i'm aware, protection at all.

In all, Thailand has 6 different species of naturally occuring wild Myna.

[bina]

if an animal is on the protected list, even if it is born in captivity it is (in israel at least) illegal to buy or sell them. only zoos or registered holders/breeders can transfer ownership or trade (five porcupines for a gazelle for example)...

some animals on the parasite list can also be killed w/o permission or quota. others have quotas. im sure thailand has this also, although enforcement is probably something different (my hubby's father is a poacher for instance and his best friends are forest rangers)

maybe someone can get a hold of the regs for thailand national trade and sales and protected and parasite species... i found adresses but not the regs themselves... and we can pin them (even if its in thai there are usually english partial translations) up in the pinned section , to avoid useless arguements and also from committing unknown crimes... i could maybe check with our zoo but havent the time really, and it will be something more international probably. we want the national rules/regs.

anyone?

bina

israel

[PoorSucker]

my hubby's father is a poacher for instance and his best friends are forest rangers

Sounds like my father in-law, but he lives in Chiang mai.

[bina]

hubby is from korat and they live near a national park, how convenient?!!

[PoorSucker]

Yes, living next door to national park means working at night.

[Briggsy]

This info may be out of date.

Subject to the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act (1960) (and subsequent amendments), all species of birds are protected and trading is illegal unless exempted. Trade is permitted for 39 species of birds. The white-vented myna, common myna and hill myna are on this list.

So if the dealer can obtain a quota from the Wildlife Conservation Division, he could trade in these birds. The quota will state how many birds can be traded (usually not more than 30 per dealer per year per species).

This does not affect the fact that any kind of hunting or trapping in National Parks or other reserved areas (Wildlife Sanctuaries, Non-Hunting Areas, Forest Parks) is completely illegal.

[bina]

is that the thai version or the international CITES... ?

[Geekfreaklover]

I understand all mynas can mimic sounds. The common myna, which is bay far the most common bird in Thailand can mimic sounds, speach.

The Euroasian Starling (same family as the myna) can be taught to speak.

As a twitcher it can be quite frustrating to think that you have heard a certain bird in the wild only to discover that a myna sitting in a tree copyping a sound he/she has heard before.

Allways makes me smile when people mention how intelligent their pet myna is being able to speak both Thai and English.

But to answer the question. I know of a Myna breeder in surin province. You can obviously buy one of these birds at chukchucak market. Personally I don't like to see birds in cages, they can spread their wings, learn to talk, but never truely fly.

[JRinger]

I understand all mynas can mimic sounds. The common myna, which is bay far the most common bird in Thailand can mimic sounds, speach.

The Euroasian Starling (same family as the myna) can be taught to speak.

As a twitcher it can be quite frustrating to think that you have heard a certain bird in the wild only to discover that a myna sitting in a tree copyping a sound he/she has heard before.

Allways makes me smile when people mention how intelligent their pet myna is being able to speak both Thai and English.

But to answer the question. I know of a Myna breeder in surin province. You can obviously buy one of these birds at chukchucak market. Personally I don't like to see birds in cages, they can spread their wings, learn to talk, but never truely fly.

there used to be a myna bird next door to us and he would mimic the screeching sound of the samlor's brakes whenever a 3-wheeler passed by.

He also said some other things but doubt I can post them here......the bird was good for laugh.

[Pitbullman1]

He is a pure Mynah bird. He has the black glossy feather with a few white feathers on the tips of his wings and the yellow flaps hanging from either side of his face.

You've described a 'Hill Myna' - which is actually in worrying decline as a wild species in Thailand and is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Yours may have been bred from 'stock' (or not), but its parents.. or theirs..? Somewhere not too far down the line they were taken from the wild (in Thailand)

Capture & sale of these birds is rife. In Mrs Goshawk's village we even have an expert (much to my distaste) bird trapper, although he mainly specialises in Red-whiskered bulbul's.

I know for a fact that the brown ones which look very similar to a Mynah bird are infact wild and are a protected species

they look similar, 'cos they are Myna birds - just a different species to yours. They're Common Myna's to be exact and these are not under any threat or, as far as i'm aware, protection at all.

In all, Thailand has 6 different species of naturally occuring wild Myna.

[Pitbullman1]

Goshawk,

With respect, I researched everything that I could find about the bird that I bought, and before we did buy him we took along my wife's parents who also own many birds. Everything points to, and confirms it as being a real Mynah bird and not a dark brown hill Mynah bird which is an endangered species and should not be sold in shops. I have never seen one of these brown hill Mynah birds for sale in any pet shops choose where I have visited.

However I will be manly enough to stand to be corrected.

Edited September 4, 2009 by Pitbullman1

[p_brownstone]

Goshawk,

With respect, I researched everything that I could find about the bird that I bought, and before we did buy him we took along my wife's parents who also own many birds. Everything points to, and confirms it as being a real Mynah bird and not a dark brown hill Mynah bird which is an endangered species and should not be sold in shops. I have never seen one of these brown hill Mynah birds for sale in any pet shops choose where I have visited.

However I will be manly enough to stand to be corrected.

The Hill Mynah is Glossy Black

The Common Mynah is predominately Brown

Patrick

[Goshawk]

He has the black glossy feather with a few white feathers on the tips of his wings and the yellow flaps hanging from either side of his face.

As i pointed out to you before.. That is the description of a Hill Myna. Not a 'Common Myna' (these are mainly dull brown and lack the yellow wattles, or flaps, around the ear coverts and nape)

.

Goshawk,

With respect, I researched everything that I could find about the bird that I bought, and before we did buy him we took along my wife's parents who also own many birds. Everything points to, and confirms it as being a real Mynah bird and not a dark brown hill Mynah bird

not sure what you mean by a 'real' Myna Bird..

I think you have the two species confused with each other..

Take a look at the pix posted by p_brownstone, The top one is the one you described as having bought for yourself, this is the CITES Appendix II listed bird & the one in decline in the wild through illegal pet trading..

[Pitbullman1]

Dear Goshawk,

I appreciate your assistance in correcting me with my mistake, and humbly apologise for this. Choose what, these birds (similar to the one that I have) are clearly on sale in pet shops and can be seen outside of shops in the city centre directly opposite the main Khon Kaen Police Station, either the Police are unsure of what type of birds these are or are simply turning a blind eye. OR they can be kept as pets. Now I'm not so sure.

Thank you so much.

Edited September 5, 2009 by Pitbullman1

[Briggsy]

Pitbullman

When you say "these birds", are you referring to the common myna (it's brown, mainly) or the hill myna (it's black with prominent yellow wattles)?

If you are referring to the common myna, then nobody's going to buy them as they are found in the wild state in every town from Jakarta to Dubai.

If, as I presume, you are referring to the hill myna, the owner of the pet shop may have a quota and thus a license to trade in these birds or he may be using the loophole in the law that allows anyone to own 2 of any species (is he displaying more than 2?) or, as I suspect, the police couldn't care less and are failing to enforce the law.