Common Hill-myna in danger of being poached

“Sad to say that the Common Hill-mynah (Gracula religiosa) appears to have lost one more habitat in Singapore.

“This species used to inhabit the Seletar, Jalan Kayu area. But with the widespread eviction of the farmers there, and the redevelopment of Seng Kang, I no longer hear its very distinctive calls.

“This is an extremely popular and expensive bird in aviculture. With the banning of imports from Indonesia and Thailand, the local population is under severe pressure from poachers.

“They are very easy to track as their calls HERE and HERE are loud and frequent. They are also easy to take as they are large birds, and nest in holes in trees that are of sufficient girth to support a human climber.

“The only place in Singapore where you have a good chance of seeing hill-mynas with any regularity is the Singapore Botanical Gardens, a well patrolled and protected area. If you know of hill-mynahs anywhere else in Singapore, please keep the information to yourself…”

Lee Chiu San
Singapore
5th August 2016

Note:
1. The above appears as a comment to the post on the Common Hill-myna (Gracula religiosa). It is reproduced here because of the need to spread the important message widely. Lee Chiu San is an experienced aviculturist.

2. Top image courtesy of Johnny Wee, bottom image courtesy of Dr Dato’ Amar-Singh HSS.