• English: Crested myna
• Filipino: Martines

This is among the first birds I’ve recorded, the same day as the kilyawan.

According to Thai National Parks, three subspecies are recognised:

• A. c. cristatellus, also known as the Chinese crested myna, is the nominate subspecies. It is found from eastern Burma to southeastern and central China.
• A. c. brevipennis, also known as the little crested myna, occurs in Hainan, China. It has proportionally smaller wings and a smaller bill. The feathers that form the crest are narrower than the ones from the nominate subspecies.
• A. c. formosanus, also known as the Formosan crested myna, is found in Taiwan. It is slightly smaller than the nominate subspecies and its bill is greenish-yellow. Its under-tail coverts are white. It has a more developed crest.

I’m not 100% certain but based on my location it’s most likely the nominate subspecies A. c. cristatellus.

They might be residents in my area, but I’ve only seen them once (or I’m just inattentive). Just like the kilyawan I currently don’t have additional footage, making me treasure this more.

Additional resources:

• My YouTube playlist of these guys; perhaps I’ll be able to produce more films of them in the future.
• ebird.org pics and audio
  • Pics and audio from the Philippines

UPDATES:

• 27 Aug 2022: Added IUCN classification.

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