Ask Lafeber

Myna Behavior

A myna bird landed on my husband’s shoulder and stayed with him while he washed the car outside for most of the afternoon. It doesn’t fly very well and followed him around.

We decided to keep it as a pet. We think it may have been a pet that was let go of since no one is looking for bird. I’ve seen the neighborhood cat chase stalking it a few days ago.

We bought an extra large cage and placed it in the living room where we spend time. We let her out into the space on a regular basis. I have a question about her behavior.

When she sits on my shoulder, unless I “snuggle” her and give her “kisses” she would come really close to my head and peck at my ear. When I have her on my hand, she would be fascinated at pecking at my fingers. She just gets transfixed. Is this normal or troubled behavior? How do I address this?

Thank you.

Hi Teresa,

I’m glad you were able to take this bird in. I would strongly recommend that you take her to an Avian Vet to be checked out, particularly for external and internal parasites. This is due to her being found outdoors and you have no way of knowing how long she was out. I’m a bit concerned that you said she doesn’t fly well, as this can indicate a health issue. It could also be that she was having trouble finding food on her own and was weak from malnutrition. But there are a lot of parasites in the wild bird population, so it would be best to take her to an Avian Vet and specifically state these concerns due to her being out for an unknown period of time and being exposed to wild birds. Vets do not routinely check for parasites which is why you need to request the testing.

When pet birds get loose, whether accidentally or because they were let go, they can fly for very long distances. So she could have come from a mile away, or 10 miles or 100 miles. This is why it can be hard to reunite a lost bird with the owner, but there are websites and facebook groups that help reunited lost birds and owners if you want to look into that.

Mynah birds need a very specialized diet because they are prone to developing iron storage disease which is often fatal. I would recommend researching the diet and only feed her a commercial diet formulated specifically for Mynah birds. And definitely do not offer her any iron rich foods.

As to her behavior, Mynahs are very smart. She may be training you as far as her behavior on your shoulder. She pecks at your ear and you snuggle with her? Birds should be trained with positive reinforcement, and do not respond to being reprimanded. I am not a fan of birds on shoulders because it puts you at a vulnerable position. But if you still want to do this, when she pecks at your ear, it is best to set her on a perch, but without any type of reaction. When she sits there nicely for a few minutes, pick her up and praise her. You don’t want to treat the perch like a punishment, but she needs to learn that by pecking at you, she will not get the reaction she prefers, which is to be snuggled. Birds will often look at fingers and toes like they are prey. A mynah is an omnivore in the wild, and they eat insects, small reptiles & amphibians, and even smaller birds. So your fingers are intriguing and she is trying to decide if she can hunt them and eat them. You can try switching hands to distract her or again, set her on a perch.

Because of their strict diet requirements, their poop being messier than parrots, and their sometimes confusing behavior, Mynahs are not very common as pets anymore. I’m sure you can probably find a mynah enthusiasts group or maybe a breeder for more information on her diet and behavior. She sounds like a nice bird so I hope everything checks out OK with her health.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda