Lanka Salalihiniya - Sri Lanka Hill Myna (Gracula ptilogenys)
Identification
Rather larger than the Common Mynah; larger than the Salalihiniya but
very similar to it except in having only one part of wattles, those at
the back of the head, and some black at the base of the beak. Sexes
alike, and the young differ only in being duller, and having smaller
wattles.
Behavior
It lives in scattered colonies, but it does not seem to be quite so
gregarious as Salalihiniya (The Common Hill-Myna), usually occurring in
pairs. It loves high trees, and may be found in the heart of tall
forests, as well as on estates and village gardens in their
neighbourhood. It is a restless bird. The food consists of wild fruits
such as banyan, bo and nuga figs, wild nutmegs, and sapu seeds.
The breeding season is February-May and a secondary season in
August-September. The nest is made in a cavity in a tree-bole or large
branch. The two eggs are pale prussian blue, blotched with purplish
brown. They measure about 33×25mm
Location
This Grackle inhabits the forests and well-wooded country of the wet
zone, ascending the hills, n the wetter districts of the south and west,
to at least 6,000 feet. Occasionally it strays into the drier, eastern
slopes of the main range, but it is essentially a bird of the wet-zone
hills.
Gallery
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