This myna is a resident breeder from Kumaon division in India (80° eastern longitude) east through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, the lower Himalayas, terai and foothills up to 2000 m ASL. Its range continues east through Southeast Asia northeastwards to southern China, and via Thailand southeastwards across northern Indonesia to Palawan in the Philippines. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands subspecies andamanensis and (if valid) halibrecta, described as “exceedingly common” in 1874, qualified as Near Threatened in 1991. The former is not at all common anymore in the Nicobar Islands and the latter – if distinct – has a very limited range. Common Hill Myna aka Java Hill Myna – Nominate Species (Gracula religiosa religiosa) ( Southern Race) Gray, George Robert (1840). A List of the Genera of Birds: with an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus. London: R. and J.E. Taylor. p.39.

The hill mynas are resident breeders typically found in forest and cultivation. The nest is built in a hole and the usual clutch is two or three eggs. The mynah is commonly found at forest edges, clearings or thinned areas, and cultivated areas such as coffee plantations (Feare, 1999). Ng, Dominic Y. J.; Švejcarová, Tereza; Sadanandan, Keren R.; Ferasyi, Teuku Reza; Lee, Jessica G. H.; Prawiradilaga, Dewi M.; Ouhel, Tomáš; Ng, Elize Y. X.; Rheindt, Frank E. (2021). "Genomic and morphological data help uncover extinction-in-progress of an unsustainably traded hill myna radiation". Ibis. 163 (1): 38–51. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12839. ISSN 1474-919X.

Conservation Actions

Ali, Salim& Sidney Dillon Ripley (1983). Bird Numbers 1015-1017 [Hill mynas]. In: Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (2nd ed., vol. 5): 191–194. Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Two species – Greater Indian Hill (Gracula religiosa intermedia) and the Common Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa religiosa) – are recognized as the most proficient talkers of the Hill Mynas and indeed of all talking birds, and these two species were the most widely imported for the pet trade than any other myna. French: Mainate religieux, Mainate religieux, M. de Sumbawa ou M. indien, Mainate religieux, M. indien, M. de Nias ou M. d'Enggano In north eastern India, the HIll myna used to be caught for food. In fact, curried myna was a favorite among the people there (Feare, 1999).

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern. Range: Northern India to the north-east of the Deccan, particularly in Orissa, and also in eastern Madhya Pradesh and northern Andhra Pradesh ID: Usually a little smaller than the Greater Indian Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa intermedia). Also has a shorter and finer bill.

Common or Tenggara Hill Myna [excl. enganensis, robusta]

Scientific: Gracula [religiosa or enganensis, excl. venerata], Gracula religiosa, Gracula religiosa [religiosa Group], Gracula religiosa religiosa

This genus has representatives in tropical southern Asia from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia, and the common hill myna, a popular cage bird, has been introduced to the United States. Although the Hill myna doesn't have an original song, it is one of the most famous songbird mimics. Its ability to mimic human speech, bird calls, and a wide variety of other sounds has made this bird more demanded than the parrot (Orenstein, 1997). This demand has led to the creation of industries that harvest and prepare juveniles for the pet trade. Scientific: Gracula [religiosa, indica, robusta or enganensis], Gracula [religiosa, venerata or indica], Gracula religiosa, Gracula religiosa religiosa

Common Hill-Myna (robusta)

The Common Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa), sometimes spelled “mynah” and formerly simply known as “Hill Myna”, is the myna bird most commonly seen in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names.