Records of Murmuration Behaviour in Bank Myna from Haryana, India

Abstract

Murmuration is a collective behaviour involving large flocks of birds of the same species which undertake swift aerial manoeuvres in the sky creating alluring visual displays. This phenomenon is found in parts of Europe where enormous flocks of European Starlings murmur in the evening before settling for their communal roosts. Bank Myna (Acroditheres ginginianus), a common bird in the open countryside and around human settlements across the Gangetic Delta in India, is a member of the starling family. They are seen in small to large groups round the year across their distribution range, but there has been no report of murmuration behaviour in these birds. Against this background, we documented murmurations of Bank Myna flocks on multiple occasions during the winter months of January to March in Haryana, a state in northern India. This unique behaviour, which was previously unrecorded in Bank Myna, is expected to unfold new avenues of research on members of the starling family alongside providing more behavioural insights on this bird. Murmuration of Bank Myna was recorded during routine recreational birding in an urban ecosystem and this explains how citizen science can be used as a tool for ecological research especially in the urban ecosystems.