While visiting Singapore’s Botanic Gardens, and in particular the spectacular National Orchid Garden, my attention wandered to another visitor, a slightly unkempt Java Myna who had chosen the garden to take a bath.
These mynahs, with their distinctive yellow beaks and feet, have pretty much become Singapore’s unofficial national bird by driving nearly all competition from the streets.
The mynas arrived in Singapore in the 1920s as caged birds for sale, but soon established themselves as free-range birds. They’re now estimated to have a population of between 140,000 and 220,000 in Singapore, while fewer than 10,000 remain in their original home.
