MYNAH respond witb questions andyour stories. Even lillIe bits q(irljormation cango a long MESSENGER: way-like no avocado and no cbocolate in 1997 mynab diets. You've aIL probably beard tbat before yet I still bear bOlTor sto17'es conceming Committees tbis onepoint. So, Mynab Maniacs-let's bearfrom you. l don't bave aIL tbe answers but tbere are some great owners and breeders out tbere from AVIAN RESEARCH Soutb Florida to California to Connecticut William Sager, D.V.M. 508-480-3101 and in between tbat would be proud to be of AVY AWARDS assistance uia tbe Mynab Messenger. Until next time - Fly right! CAPTIVE BREEDING SURVEY Suzanne ''''' Howse 8201 Paso Robles Starr Kirkchoff 616-327-3399 Over the Hill Mynahs Blud. Fort Pierce. Florida 34951 - Voice ­ CITES (813) 8917083, Fa.x (561) 465-3368 77Jere Al Mc abney 510-945-1785 Greetings from "The Mynah Messenger... I is also a myllab newsleller. Write to: Mynab Rick jordan 512-858-7029 laue mynahs; tbey are magnetic mystic and News, Linda l£ger 641 Invadel; SulpbUl; CONSERVATION/SMAIL GRANTS marveLous. They are mischieuous in auicul­ Louisiana 70663 ture. PersonalLy. even ifthey did not "steal auI' Benny Gallaway 409-775-2000 I'oices" I would still be utterly capliuated by fax 409-775-2002 tbeirpersonalities. ynahs are magnetic! CONVENTION COORDINATOR They are no longer common aspets as they Whenever you see or hear Sharon Rosenblatt 703-255-3399 were in tbe 1950s and '60s but evelyone COOPERATIVE BREEDING PRGM remembers a jh·el7.d that bad a mynab. It M one, you are immediately Sharon Garsee 916-784-1314 would be great to see a resurgence of those drawn in for an eye-to-eye look. Closer DRAWING COORDINATOR days but, unless we empbasize breeding inspection of what appeared to he just Cathy Ford 805-684-0752 e./f0l1s witb tbe remaining u.s. and Canadian a black bird reveals a veil of iridescent mynab owners, a secure domestic future will EDUCATION/MEDIA SERVICES violet, blue, green and purple that Kelly Tucker 505-384-5490 be bard to come by. I cbecked Webster's New Ullil'ersal glimmers when caught by the light. fax 505- 384-5441 Unabridged DictionCII)''s definition of": Black mynahs have a hallmark white ETHICS mynab: mina: any ofa group oftropical bints Larry Ring 916-885-7868 wing patch and a bright bill of candy­ of soutbeastern Asia related to tbe corn orange and yellow. Sides of the EXECUTIVE DIRECfOR family. Especially tbose tbat bal'e tbe ability to Robert J. Berry 713-434-8076 mimic buman speecb. And is often kept as head are decorated with bright yellow fax 713-433-3731 pets." flesh ribhons, called wattles, varying in FINANCE 77Jat definition is wbat tbe CIl'erage person length and pattern with suhspecies. jim Hawley bus 602-838-4770 perceiues. Mynahs are so mucb more, bOlvel'­ But looks aren't all that the Hill el; and witb tbe belp ojtbe WatcbbiJdjournal Fax 602-987-3389 Mynahs (Gracula religiosa) have going ILLEGAL BIRD TRADE we can get out irljormation, balJe aforum/or questions and answers, belp people locate for them. They are a complete home Marty Muschinske 619-468-3201 mates for tbeir and learn about our entertainment unit-intelligent, curi­ lEGAL COUNSEL fauorite "Black Cbickens" as my busband, Gary Lilient~al 617-345-0770 ous, haughty, comical to watch and Gene, so fondly calts tbem. capable of playing games to amuse lEGISLATION My mission is to belp you get tbe pel1inent Rick jordan 512-858-7029 illjo17nation you'll need to decide wbetber to themselves and you. They are the hap­ MEMBERSHIP purchase or breed mynabs. YOllr mission is to piest and hoppiest birds around, able Paddy Lambert 314-962-8186 NOMINATIONS AND ElECfIONS r--~-~-~--~----~------~-~~------"'~ Lorraine Smith ~ I Q) PUBliCATIONS c Q) Sheldon Dingle ph/fax 818-289-4400 (!J >. .c PHOENIX BUSINESS OFFICE o -0 .c Carol Inderrieden 602-484-0931 a.. fax 602-484-0109 WATCHBIRD STAFF Dale R.111ompson/ 805-252-4871 Editor in Chief fax 805-252-5861

Sheldon Dingle/ ph/fax 818-289-4400 Managing Editor

M. jean Hessler/ 714-548-3133 Art Director fax 714-548-0420

Sharon Rosenblat/ 703-255-3399 Advertising fax 703-281-3140 or Phoenix Office Malejaua Hill Mynah, two months old.

10 March/April 1997 to cover a vast amount of territory without ever lifting a wing, especially Commercial Members when it is time to go back to their cage. Their ability to mimic is unsur­ Aardvark Imports, Santa Monica, CA High Sierra Bird & Supply, Inc., Reno, NV passed in the avian world. About Birds, Hebron, IL Higuera, Katherine, Seattle WA Hill Country Aviary, LLC, Dripping Springs,TX In the past, mynahs were imported Adsit, DVM, Schenectady, NY Allen's Aviaries, Rutherford, CA Hookbill Aviaries, Center Ridge, AR in great quantities; they were quite Albany Aquarium, Albany, NY JER Birds, Inc., Ocean Grove, NJ popular and inexpensive. This popu­ American Bird Center, Goulds, FL Jewels on Wings, Elko, NV larity has decreased in recent years. We And Feathers Bird Studio, Chicago, IL Jungle Enterprises, Homestead, FL have a strong desire to help regenerate Affinity, Chicago, IL Just Parrots, Lexington, SC Animal Cove, Columbus, GA Kaytee Products, Inc., Chilton, WI the hill mynahs' popularity and avail­ Animal Crackers, Greendale, WI Kookaburra Pets, Carrolton, TX ability as domestic, hand-reared birds, Animal Environments, Carlsbad, CA L1M Animal Farms, Pleasant Plain. OH not as wild caught imports. We have a Aves International, Rancho Pales Verde, CA Lafeber, Cornell, IL responsibility to the mynahs to suc­ Avian Acres Exotic Bird Farm, Flemington, NJ Lawrence, Louis M., Fort Meyers, FL Avian Kingdom Supply, Inc., Dallas, TX Lima's Exotic Birds, Woodland Hills, CA cessfully breed them in captivity and to Avian Resources, San Dimas, CA Little Friar Aviary, Glendora, NJ stabilize their populations so mynahs Aviary of Naples, Naples, FL Living Design, Inc, Worthing, SO can survive. Avitech, Inc., Frazier Park, CA Loriidae Production Network, Woodlake, CA As a case in point, we have two Avocet Mfg., Ltd., Kirkland, WA Luv Them Birds, Goulds, FL B&H Birds, Bishop, CA M&S Aviaries & Pet Supplies, Bandera, TX Java Hill Mynah males and are having Banish, Theresa, Pinole, CA M.R. Pets, Inc.,Dale City,VA a "mynah boggling" time finding hens Bell's Exotics, Inc., Wrightsville, GA Magic Zoo, Rough and Ready, CA for them. Ninety percent ofthe domes­ Bird Country, Lewistown, MT Magnolia Bird Farm, Anaheim, CA tic Java Mynahs are directly related to Bird Hill Products, Paso Robles, CA Max Sharpe, Plant City, FL one pair (owned by Lynda Scott) Bird Is The Word, Batavia, IL Moyer & Son, Sounderton, PA Bird Shop, Sacramento, CA Mt Olympus Aviaries, Salt Lake City, UT which have produced 21 living off­ Birdlady's Babes, Atascadero, CA Murad, Aspen, CO spring to date. Bird-on-a-Stick, Merriliville, IN Nekton USA, Inc, Clearwater, FL If we had two unrelated pairs Birdeez Nutrition Center, Chandler, f\l. Newhall, Acampo, CA breeding successfully, it would con­ Birds Nest, Sacramento, CA Northcoast Bird Adoption & Rehab, TWinsburgh, OH Birds RUs, Sparta, IL Ohio Assoc of Animal Owners, Pleasant Hill, OH tribute greatly to the Java Hill Mynah Blue Skies Aviary, Whitwell, TN "Po Patch, The, Benton, MS gene pool. It may be difficult for some­ Boston Exotics, Action, MA Paradise for Birds Rehab, Cary NC one to give up their pet to participate Breeder Bird, Sylmar, CA Parrot Training Videos, Seattle, WA in a breeding program, however, Brown, W. D., Ragley, LA Parrot-dise, Anderson, SC C&F Parrot Farm, Chorpus Christi, TX Pasadena Parrots, Inc., Pasadena, CA exchanging an adult bird for a captive­ Caged Bird Hobbiest, Miami, FL Patty's Parrots, Booneville, MS reared baby has its advantages. The Calderin, Coral Gables, FL Picture Perfect Parrot, Berea, OH baby will be tame and will readily Cedar Hill Aviary, Northbranch, NY Pittman International, Anaheim, CA learn to talk. Upon reaching maturity, Clifton Bird Farm, Mesa, f\l. R&MAviaries, Hunlock Creek, PA Cock-a-Doodle Too, Richmond, VA Raintree Publications, Fort Bragg, CA the bird could again be traded for a Corners Ltd., Inc., Kalamazoo, MI Re'inolds Bird Refuge, Garden Grove, CA baby and the adult could be paired Country Critters,Ltd., Medford, NY Robin's Nest, Stockbridge, GA with an unrelated mate to begin a Crystal Parrot, Southampton, MA Ronie's For the Love of Birds, American Fork, UT whole new cycle of mynahs. Former Cuttlebone Plus, Fallbrook, CA Royal Bird & Supply Co., Lincolnton, NC Santa Barbara Bird Farm, Santa Barbara, CA mynah pets can start teaching their Darlene Sousa - Jewelry & Gifts, Sunol, CA Denise's Parrot Place, Mercer Island, WA Saunder's, W. B., Stockton, CA babies to talk while still in the nest. Di VinciLtd., Las Vegas, NV Scarlet Orchard Aviaries, Otis Orchards, WA Who knows, perhaps talking to the Dr. Gregory Alan Rich, DVM, Metairie, LA Schults Bird Farm, Langhome, PA eggs will affect the developing Earthrise, Bright & Healthy,Tolihouse, CA Skyline Garden, Martin Muschinske, Jamul, CA Stembridge, Carson, CA embryos, too. Eden's Nestbox, Eden, MD Exotic Birds, Richard Gilmore, Graham, TX Stoneridge Exotics, Summerfield, FL The hill mynahs are distributed Expandable Habitats, Rockton, IL Sugarcreek Bird Farm, Bellbrook, OH throughout India, Indonesia, the F& 0 Exotics, Princeton, FL Super Pets, Anaheim, CA Philippines and Southeast Asia. Once FM Brown's Sons, Inc. Sinking Springs, PA Swan Creek Supply, Saginaw, MI numerous in these areas, their num­ Fantastic Feathers, Port SI. Lucie, FL Swellands Cage & Supply Co., Ramona, CA Feather Friendy, Coral Springs, FL Topp Flock Aviary, Inc., Loxahatchee, FL bers are now dwindling rapidly due to Feather Freindzy, Astatula, FL Torrey's Parrot Place, Spokane, WA deforestation and loss of habitat. Feather Tree, Long Beach, CA Tradewinds Exotic Birds, Terry, MS Feathering Heights, Scotts Valley, CA Tucker Farms, Estancia, NM Mynahs' Ability To Talk Featherwood Farms, Waddell, f\l. Tweety Bird Aviary, Huntsville, AL Up At Six Aviaries, Bosque, NM Sunny, a two year old Java Hill First Flight, Belleville, IL Fledgling Company, Niles, IL Verde Squirts Aviary, Long Beach, CA Mynah, was taken from the nest at five Four Paws Products, Hauppauge, NY Web Ranch Bfmstrs & Birds, Mooreland, OK days of age for hand-rearing. At five Frey, Dr. Walter H., Idabel, OK Wings of Paradise, La Porte, TX weeks, he said "hello" and has not Friedman, Alan P., Baltimore, OH Yvonne's Swings and Things, Rochester, NY Zoogen, Inc. Davis, CA stopped talking since, except for an Ginny's Jungle, Andover, NJ Hidden Forest Wildlife Art Gallery, Fallbrook, CA Zupreem, Mission, KS occasional hiatus when he seem so be thinking things over. In the beginning, afa WATCHBIRD 11 we used a IS-second continuous tape Mynah baby of the season from Linda our language. When the mynah is to teach the mynah to talk, but with no Scott's pair. She fretted and worried learning something new, it comes out success. The mynah leaned to talk about getting the unweaned mynah like garbled English but gradually intel­ from the people in the house and even safely to Colorado from Florida. In her ligible words are formed. TheJava Hill picked up more vocalizations from the telephone conversations with Howse, Mynah imitates the voices of the resident Yflllow-naped Amazon, Pepe, who also lives in Florida, she constant­ Nixons' two Amazon parrots perfectly. and the Maroon-tailed Conure, Surfer ly kidded her about taking a flight to Bird. Colorado for a visit so she could bring Mynah Mania Begins Some of the phrases Sunny repeats the baby mynah with her on the plane. Since acquiring Tesla, the Java Hill are: ''I'm a mynah bird; I'm a mynah On May 17th the first egg hatched Mynah, the Nixons now watch every birdie doggie; Good Morning, SuSu; and about two weeks later, when ad in the newspaper for mynahs. Late Well ... Open the door; I'm a rock 'n Nixon listened to her phone messages in the year they found in a local Thrifty roller; What-cha doing; Hi Buddy; she was surprised to hear, "Hello, this Nickel ad, a mynah bird for sale. It Wowee!" He also sings scales, has five is Suzanne Howse. Life's too short. I'm turned out to be a Greater Hill Mynah. fancy whistles, barks and is learning taking time off from work and coming This mynah looked like a female, and more all the time. The bird has three to Colorado. Can you pick the baby trusting their intuition, they purchased distinct voices-Suzanne's, the Yellow­ mynah and me up at the Stapleton "Harvey" thinking the Scotts might naped Amazon's and the Exorcist's. Airport next Monday?" need another bird for breeding. Our otherJava Hill Mynah, "Scotty" The passengers on the plane "oo'd It was evident that Harvey had been was captured from the wild. He was and ah'd" as Howse fed the little 17­ owned by a man at some time in its previously owned by a Malaysian gen­ day-old Java Hill Mynah during a long life. The deep voice and sinister laugh tleman, so he speaks Malayo­ layover in Orlando, Florida and also emitting from such a small bird had Polynesian most of the time. This several times during the flight. Nixon everyone laughing. As soon as the mynah is about three and a half years quickly located Howse at the airport mynah knew someone was awake in old and has started to pick up English terminal because she could hear the the morning, she would imitate the phrases from the rest of the flock. hungry cry of a baby bird. Looking sound of a window shade rolling up Suzanne Boyer ofJulian, California, around the lobby she saw Howse and flapping around at the top, then owns wild-caught adult Java Hill holding a small container that held the make the squeaky noises of someone Mynahs that are also learning to talk. crying mynah baby. They exchanged washing glass. A tape recording could Boyer's first chick hatched in 1994­ quick hellos and rushed to find a quiet not have rendered it more realistic. new hope and new bloodlines. area in the nearest ladies room to feed Harvey could say: "How are you?; We had two wild-caught Greater the chick. What-cha doing?; Hu-Iow; Harvey; I Hill Mynahs, one of which learned The baby mynah was named Tesla, love you." She also made other phras­ about a dozen words, proving that after the famous scientist. Nixon's hus­ es, including the sounds of a man adult birds can still learn to talk. These band, Dave, said, "This is the best shaving and coughing. But her rendi­ two birds were sent to Linda Scott for Father's Day gift I've ever received." tion of doors opening, motors revving use in her hreeding program. Scott's To escape the hot temperatures of up, alarms going off and noises of pet female Java Hill Mynah, Georgia, Colorado Springs, the Nixons took other inanimate objects were so phe­ has a wonderful vocabulary, part of Howse and their new baby mynah to nomenal, it would not have mattered if which is: "Hello Daddy; Come here, their A-frame home located in the she ever talked. boy; Georgie wants to talk to you (to mountains. Tesla made friends with a Harvey had lived in at least three the dog); Wowee; Charlie, whatcha mother Stella's Jay who frequented the homes before the Nixons found her. doing; Where's Michael (Scott's hus­ ledge outside one of the windows of They changed her name to "Harvette" band); I'm a mynah bird, I am, I am; the house. Whenever the little mynah within a short time because every time hello Boo Boo (to Scott); Do you want cried for food, theJay would sit on the Dave walked into the room she would to buy a mynah bird?; I love you window sill looking in and after the flick her wings and position herself for Daddy; Hello Sweetheart; Don't forget baby quieted down, would leave. breeding, which seemed to indicate to lock the door; Oh Boy, Oh man; At four weeks of age, Tesla learned that this mynah was a female. Soon What's that for Georgia?" When a par­ to sing like the neighbor's male cat Harvette began laying eggs, which rot yells, Georgia says, "That's terrible" who romanced outside the Nixon's meant it was time for her to breed. She or "That's horrible" and constantly bedroom window at night. By five was sent to Scott in Florida where she adds to her repertoire. She speaks in weeks the mynah had learned to say was paired with Charlie, a male Michael's voice and in Lynda's Boston "hello" and from then on he has been Greater Hill Mynah. accent. learning to speak in much the same The Nixons had become very way a young child does. The Scotts attached to Harvette and it was difficult Arrival ofthe FirstJava Mynah (breeders of the bird) had suggested for them to part with her. They knew, In the Spring of 1994, Gayle that the Nixons repeat the vowels of however, that she must be placed in a Anderson-Nixon was anxiously await­ the English language to the mynah breeding program so the could ing the arrival of the first Java Hill baby so it would learn the sounds of propagate. ,.,.

12 March/April 1997