Shore maina

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Shore maina
Ufermaina (Acridotheres ginginianus)

Ufermaina ( Acridotheres ginginianus )

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Starlings (Sturnidae)
Subfamily : Sturninae
Genre : Mainas ( Acridotheres )
Type : Shore maina
Scientific name
Acridotheres ginginianus
( Latham , 1790)

The riparian maina ( Acridotheres ginginianus ) is a songbird from the starling family native to South Asia . In terms of coloration, it is similar to the Shepherd's Maina , with whom it also shares the distribution area, but is a little smaller.

distribution

The Ufermaina is native to the Pakistani province of Sind in the west over larger parts of northern India to Bangladesh in the east. In the south, the distribution area ends roughly at the latitude of Mumbai , Maharashtra , Balasore and Orissa , with the exception of the drier regions of Rajasthan . The distribution is patchy and concentrated in the larger river valleys.

The local names for the riparian maina are:

The habitat of the Ufermaina are rocks in the open country or in the vicinity of human settlements; it is also often found near tea stalls or markets, as well as at train stations. Their preference for river valleys is expressed in the German name as well as in the names in Hindi ( Ganga = Ganges ) and Bengali.

description

Back view

The Ufermaina is a squat, blue-gray starling bird; the beak and the bare skin around the eyes are colored deep orange. Compared to the Shepherd Maina, it is grayer and smaller. The two sexes are similar to each other, the coloring of the young birds is paler and brownish.

The riparian maina is sociable, it often appears in shoals, even during the breeding season. She is usually very tame and trusting, and is often seen walking between the feet and luggage of travelers in train stations to pick food. She looks for food in garbage dumps and follows herds of cattle to search the animals for insects.

The call is somewhat softer than that of the Shepherd Maine.

food

The main diet includes fruits, grains and insects. It can be very detrimental to the ripening of crops from the consumption of grain seeds.

Reproduction

The mating season is May to August, preferably April to June. The nest is a ball of grass and rubbish that is stuffed into the extended end of a horizontal earth tunnel. These tunnels are found on steep river banks, in disused brick kilns, clay wells or in cracks in walls.

Shore mainas often breed in colonies of 50 or more breeding pairs, not infrequently together with shepherd mainas. A clutch consists of 3 to 5 pale bluish shimmering eggs.

Web links

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