The Indian myna, also called the common myna and known scientifically as Acridotheres tristis, is a member of the starling family. Its native range stretches across wide areas of South Asia, but it has travelled with people to many parts of the world, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it among 100 of the world's worst invasive alien species. In Egypt, the bird has now been recorded at 117 sites, concentrated mainly around the Nile Delta and the Suez Canal. How Honeybee Colonies Actually Make Honey. How Falcon Hospitals in the UAE Actually Treat Birds.

How to identify an Indian myna

The Indian myna measures roughly 23 to 26 centimetres long. It has a dark brown body with a black head and neck, a yellow patch around the eye, and a yellow bill and legs; in flight, a clear white bar shows on its wings. Another giveaway is how it moves on the ground: it walks rather than hops, unlike many other birds.

It is also a noisy bird. Like most territorial birds, it has a bout of intense calling in the early morning that lasts between five and fifteen minutes, and its communal roosts can gather as many as 5,000 birds, keeping up a loud chattering well after nightfall.

A flexible diet and a talent for adaptation

The Indian myna eats both plant and animal food and makes ready use of food scraps and exposed waste, which lets it thrive inside cities and farming areas. It prefers warmer climates, usually forages in open grassy habitats, and nests in trees as well as in gaps and openings in buildings and other structures; it has even been recorded nesting in drainpipes.

How it spread across Egypt

According to Egyptian press reporting, the Indian myna first appeared in Egypt in the late 1990s. Researchers recorded its presence in North Sinai between 2008 and 2010 and documented the first evidence of it breeding inside Egypt in 2009, after a pair was seen building a nest in a building. Since then its range has expanded well beyond those first areas, and it has now been counted at 117 sites in scattered locations. The global biodiversity database GBIF indexes more than 340 occurrence records for the species in Egypt.

Researchers attribute its successful spread to several factors: rapid breeding, the ability to eat many kinds of food, flexibility in choosing nest sites, and a shortage of natural predators in some areas.

Why it harms native birds

The Indian myna's danger lies in its effect on biodiversity: it competes with native birds for food and for nesting sites. The IUCN's Global Invasive Species Database documents what this looks like worldwide. The myna's spread has been implicated in the demise of lowland populations of the Rarotonga starling, a species classified as Vulnerable. It is a nest-site competitor that can displace active breeding pairs of the Endangered Mauritius parakeet, and in French Polynesia it has been reported preying on a Critically Endangered kingfisher.

In Egypt, research monitoring stretching back about 26 years indicates that the bird's impact is concentrated on biodiversity and resident birds, with no direct threat to people recorded.

The short answer

The Indian myna is a starling native to South Asia that reached Egypt in the late 1990s, began breeding there in 2009, and has since been recorded at 117 sites around the Delta, the Suez Canal, and beyond. It is recognisable by its brown body, black head, yellow bill, and white wing bar, and by its remarkable adaptability to cities and farmland. Its harm comes from competing with native birds for food and nest sites, which is why it sits on the global list of 100 of the worst invasive species.

Sources

  1. IUCN Global Invasive Species Database (GISD), species profile: Acridotheres tristis. β€” https://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=108
  2. IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species." β€” https://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/100_worst.php
  3. Shorouk News, "After being recorded at 117 sites in Egypt.. the story of the Indian myna's spread and its danger to local birds," 2026-09-06. β€” https://www.shorouknews.com/mobile/news/view.aspx?cdate=06092026&id=c1ee7b51-fef4-496f-ad01-32b07012ee64
  4. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), species record and Egypt occurrence records for Acridotheres tristis. β€” https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2489005

FAQ

See the article sources for the evidence behind these explanations.

About the Author

We reference the cited authoritative sources to explain this topic.