Bali Mynah
Leucopsar rothschildi

The Bali mynah is one of the most critically endangered species of birds in the world. This striking member of the Starling family is pure white, except for the black tips on its wings and tail, and a featherless, sky blue eye patch. Males and females look alike, each with an elegant feather crest on the head.

What They Eat
Bali mynahs eat fruit, berries, and seeds. They also eat a variety of insects, especially during the plentiful rainy season. At the zoo, mynahs eat fresh fruit, crickets, and mealworms.

Where They Live
Easily seen by predators, mynahs prefer the safety of tree tops near the forest’s edge, only coming down to the ground to drink. Formerly found on the Indonesian island of Bali, today all remaining Bali mynahs live in zoos.

What They Do
Bali Mynahs congregate in flocks of 20-40 individuals except when pairing off to mate. In the wild, nests are often built in old woodpecker holes. Two to four chicks hatch after two weeks. Males and females both sit on eggs and care for young.

How They’re Doing
This is one rare bird! The Bali mynah is considered extinct in the wild. Successful breeding programs maintain a healthy population of 300 Bali Mynahs in North American.

Things you can do

Don’t buy animal products such as shoes, wallets, and handbags made from endangered animals. Buy locally grown and locally made products so you know where they come from.

Don’t buy exotic pets. They may be endangered, and exotic animals usually don’t make good pets anyway. Buy only captive-bred birds as pets.

Join and become active in the Minnesota Zoo and other conservation organizations of your choice.

Your visit to the Zoo helps support our conservation programs. You can also sponsor an animal at the Zoo.

 

 

Bali Mynah

Bali mynahs face both environmental and cultural challenges. Their habitat is disappearing and they are endangered by the illegal pet trade. Indonesia has outlawed all capture, hunting and export of these rare birds, but these laws are not well enforced, partly due to their popularity as pets in Indonesian culture.

Things the Zoo's Done/Doing

TSince opening in 1978, the Minnesota Zoo has successfully raised and exhibited Bali mynahs. In fact, the Minnesota Zoo has been the single most successful institution for breeding Bali mynahs since the beginning of the AZA’s Bali Mynah Species Survival Plan(SSP) captive breeding program. Since 1994, we have hatched 37 chicks that have gone into the SSP pool. We are proud of our success and contribution to the future of this critically endangered bird.

For now, the recent political, financial, and social instability in Indonesia has made releasing zoo bred Bali mynahs into the wild impossible. Fortunately, due to the coordinated efforts of captive breeding programs worldwide, the Bali mynah is in relatively good shape in captivity.