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Posted by Bryant Roberts on 20:15:35 07/18/07
This evening an identification request was forwarded to me with a couple of photos; one of a male and the other of a female bird. The identification was simple, the male was a Superb Starling and the female was a Common Myna. The description of their behavior, which follows, was a little more interesting.
The male and a couple of females with a half dozen fledglings have been sighted every morning (0700) in the Publix parking lot (north side of Atlantic Blvd, just west of the Intercoastal Waterway, Pompano Beach). They are nested in a palm tree in front of the store. The band across the male's chest is considerably more yellow. The females show a broad white wing band (or bar) in flight. The male currently seems very active in gathering nesting materials. So, I think the family will be around for awhile
This raises some intriguing questions. Could the Common Mynas and Superb Starlings be interbreeding? Even if their proximity was coincidental, the gathering of nesting material may indicate that the Superb Starling is attempting to nest in the area. This may be worth checking out.
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