Myna birds are omnivorous birds that eat a varied diet consisting of both plant and animal matter. What do myna birds eat? is a common question for those interested in learning more about the feeding habits of these vocal and social birds. In this comprehensive article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the diverse dietary needs of myna birds and what owners should be feeding them in captivity.
An Overview of Myna Bird Diet in the Wild
In their natural habitats across Southern Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, myna birds like to eat a wide range of foods. Their opportunistic appetites lead them to feed on everything from fruits and berries to insects and small vertebrates.
Some of the main components of a myna bird’s diet in the wild include:
Fruits and Berries
Mynas relish sweet fruits and berries. Wild mynas enjoy feasting on figs, guava, papaya, bananas, and mulberries. They also devour smaller fruits, like grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, with gusto whenever they can find them.
During certain seasons, mynas will gorge on specific, abundant fruits. For example, they may focus on eating mangos or prickly pears when those fruits come into season and provide an abundant source of food.
Insects
Crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, grubs, and termites are among the insects that form a major part of a myna’s protein sources. Mynas use their curved beaks to probe the ground and peck through the grass and decaying wood to uncover insects and grubs buried in the soil or hidden in crevices.
Mynas especially target high-protein insect larvae and pupae to feed their chicks when breeding. Caterpillars provide an excellent source of nutrition for growing nestlings.
Seeds and Grains
In the wild, mynas forage for seeds from grasses, fruits, and berries. They will eat any seeds they can get their beaks on, including cereal grains like rice, wheat, oats, and barley, whenever they manage to find a source.
Mynas use their beaks like a pair of forceps to crack open hard seeds and access the nutritious contents inside. They also swallow smaller seeds from grasses and fruits whole.
Eggs and Nestlings
Mynas are omnivorous opportunists and won’t pass up an easy meal. If they find a nest unattended, they will often swoop in and raid the nest to eat the eggs and nestling birds. Mynas have also been known to prey on small reptiles and amphibians when available.
By raiding nests, mynas are able to supplement their diet with extra protein in the form of eggs and baby birds. Some mynas even specialize in raiding nests and eat primarily eggs and nestlings.
Table Scraps
In urban areas, mynas have adapted well to living near humans. City-dwelling mynas will readily scavenge for discarded human food scraps wherever they can find them. They are particularly fond of cooked white rice, bread and biscuit crumbs, meat scraps, and rubbish from street food stalls.
The abundant food waste generated in cities provides Mynas with a reliable buffet. As scavengers, they play an important role in cleaning up leftover food waste and keeping urban areas cleaner.
Key Dietary Requirements for Myna Birds
To stay happy and healthy, myna birds need a nutritionally balanced diet that provides:
Complete Protein
As growing birds, mynas need a constant supply of high-quality protein to thrive. Insects, eggs, and meat provide essential amino acids that mynas cannot synthesize on their own. Make sure to supply at least 10-15% of their total diet from diverse protein sources.
Fruits and Veggies
For important vitamins, minerals, and fiber, include a wide mix of chopped fruits and cooked vegetables. Some excellent choices are apples, berries, melon, sweet potatoes, peas, corn, leafy greens, beans, carrots, bell peppers, and squash.
Aim for a good balance between fruits and vegetables. The natural sugars in fruit can cause obesity if overfed.
Calcium
To build strong bones and eggshells, breeding mynas especially requires abundant calcium. This can be provided via cuttlebones, crushed eggshells, and calcium supplements.
Vitamin D3
This vitamin helps birds properly absorb and utilize calcium in their diet. It is made by birds in direct sunlight. For indoor birds, provide an oral vitamin D3 supplement or full-spectrum UV lighting.
Essential Fatty Acids
For skin and feather health, mynas need omega-3s and omega-6s. Nuts, seeds, and vegetable oil provide these beneficial fatty acids.
Clean, Fresh Water
Keep your myna’s water bowls freshly filled and washed daily with a bird-safe disinfectant. Mynas also enjoy bathing in their water to keep their feathers in top condition.
Feeding Pet Myna Birds in Captivity
Pet mynas thrive on a varied, nutrient-dense diet that mimics their natural wild food sources as closely as possible. Here are some basic feeding guidelines for cared-for captive mynas:
High-Quality Commercial Diets
A premium-brand pelleted diet formulated specifically for omnivorous songbirds like mynas can form a solid nutritional foundation. Look for a complete diet with ample fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, and insect matter.
Supplement with other foods as needed, depending on your particular myna’s condition, activity level, and preferences.
Daily Produce
Chop up fresh fruits and lightly cook green leafy vegetables daily to offer myna birds a rainbow of natural nutrition. Favorites to rotate through include apples, berries, kale, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, corn, beans, peppers, melons, and carrots.
Complete Proteins
Give complete protein from sources like cooked eggs, organic poultry, heart, insect larvae, mealworms, crickets, and high-quality cat or dog food several times a week. This provides essential amino acids.
Healthy Table Foods
In moderation, healthy leftovers can offer enrichment. Some bird-safe foods include cooked rice, quinoa, pasta, cheese, yogurt, bird-safe fruits, scrambled eggs, and bits of lean meat.
Foraging Opportunities
Make your myna work for its food by hiding meals in foraging toys. Clipping food bowls to the cage sides and scattering food encourages natural foraging behavior and activity.
No-No’s
Avoid junk food, excess salt and sugar, and toxic foods like chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, and avocado. Ask your avian vet about any food questions.
Supplements
Use additional calcium, multivitamin, probiotic, and mineral supplements to balance out the diet as needed. An avian vet can advise you on choosing quality supplements if needed.
Fresh Water
Refill and scrub Clean your myna’s water bowls daily with a bird-safe cleanser. Provide a large bowl or bird bath for bathing several times a week. Misting can also help them preen and bathe.
Skeletal Health
Myna’s legs and feet can become overgrown or deformed without proper nutrition. Make sure to provide adequate calcium, vitamin D3, phosphorus, and space for exercise. Avoid wire perches.
Tailoring Your Myna’s Diet Plan
You’ll want to tailor your myna’s daily diet and feeding schedule based on factors like their species, age, activity level, health issues, and individual tastes. Here are some sample diets to follow for popular pet myna species:
Hill Myna
Native to the jungle regions of southern Asia, these active mynas are energetic fliers in the wild. They need a protein-packed diet with opportunities to forage and exercise. Try a diet like this:
- Morning: 1-2 tablespoons high-quality zoo diet pellets, soaked raisins, chopped fruit mix
- Afternoon: 1-2 tablespoons softened pellets, cooked chopped veggies, brown rice
- Evening: Mealworms, crickets, boiled egg with shell, soaked high-protein cat kibble
Provide a variety of living insects like crickets, mealworms, and waxworm larvae at least 3 times weekly. Offer sprouted seeds or beans, chopped veggies, eggs, nuts, fruits, and calcium supplements daily.
Common Myna
These highly adaptable, opportunistic eaters, originally from Asia, will eat almost anything. They aren’t picky! A varied diet like this will satisfy them:
- Morning: 1-2 tablespoons fortified softened pellets or crumbles, chopped mixed fruits
- Afternoon: Cooked chopped veggies, beans, or grains, egg food with veggies and beans, insects
- Evening: High protein soaked dog or cat kibble, sprouted lentils or beans
Provide insects like mealworms and crickets several times a week along with a sprinkle of seeds, sprouted legumes and grains, chopped veggie scraps, and nuts to supplement the softened pellets. Offer fresh produce and calcium daily.
Greater Indian Myna
Native to the tropical regions of Asia, these mynas thrive in warm, humid climates. They need a diet with ample protein sources and moisture. Try this combination:
- Morning: 2-3 tablespoons softened quality pellets, soaked raisins, chopped melons or apples
- Afternoon: Cooked quinoa or brown rice with chopped veggies, scrambled or hard-boiled egg with shell, insects
- Evening: Mealworms, waxworms, high protein soaked cat or dog kibble, sprouted seeds
Give a variety of living insects daily, along with ample fresh fruits and vegetables. Provide soaked kibble, sprouts, cooked beans, greens, fruits, veggies, and calcium supplements. Mist frequently.
Crested Myna
These mynas originate from the Indonesian islands. They enjoy protein-rich foods that mimic their tropical niche. A good mix is:
- Morning: 1-3 tablespoons softened pellets, soaked goji berries, chopped fruits
- Afternoon: Cooked chopped veggies with brown rice, hard-boiled egg with shell, live insects
- Evening: Mealworms, soaked dog kibble, sprouted beans, seeds or grains
Provide a variety of living insects at least 5 times weekly. Offer ample chopped fruits, sprouted beans, cooked grains, veggies, greens, nuts, and calcium supplements daily.
Juvenile Mynas
Young, growing mynas have higher calorie needs. Increase protein to 20% of the diet. Offer soaked, softened pellets and foods for easier digestion.
Molting/Breeding Mynas
Boost calories and protein up to 20% with eggs, sprouts, nuts, and insects. Add calcium and vitamin D3.
Senior Mynas
Reduce fruits and convert pellets into an easier-to-digest mash. Add digestive enzymes.
Interesting Myna Bird Feeding Behaviors
Here are some interesting facts about how mynas eat and forage that can help you care for them:
- Mynas are highly social and often form large mixed-feeding flocks of a dozen or more birds in nature. They feel more secure and comfortable eating in a group.
- Mynas are intelligent birds capable of solving puzzles and challenges to get food. In captivity, they need lots of interactive foraging toys and tasks.
- Wild mynas spend over 50% of daylight hours foraging for food. Make your pet myna work for its meals too, for mental and physical exercise.
- Mynas often dunk, soak, and moisten their food in water before eating it. Provide large water bowls for bathing and misting their food.
- Mynas walks and hops along the forest floor, probing the soil for hidden insects and larvae. Allow supervised floor time to forage.
- As bold and social birds, they can be aggressive around food bowls. Separate multiple mynas at mealtimes to prevent squabbles.
- Clever mynas also use twigs, leaves, and stones as tools to reach or extract hidden food. Give pet mynas tools and puzzles.
- Mynas caches excess food pieces in tree crevices to eat later. Provide platform feeders, boxes, and shreddable toys for “storing” food.
By mimicking their wild feeding behaviors and environment, you can keep captive mynas healthy and engaged. Time their meals to your schedule, but provide opportunities for working and foraging.
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