Feeding protocol among some common birds

K.F. Yap’s notes that there seems to be a kind of unwritten ‘pecking order’ among the common birds around us when they feed, see also The ubiquitous Javan Myna. Whenever cleaners remove refuse, Javan Mymas (Acridotheres javanicus) , being most bold and aggressive, would be the first to feed, even when people are around. House Crows (Corvus splendens), although they are larger and more aggressive, usually stay back as they are shy of people. The crows would come to feed after the cleaners have moved away, during which time the mynas would also have moved on.

He also observed that whenever his neighbours threw stale bread and rice out of the backyard windows to feed the birds, the pigeons would come first, then the mynas and finally the crows. The crows would then rob the pigeons and mynas of their food, he concluded.

Intrigued by his account, I hung out a bunch of ripe bananas on a low branch in my garden. Interestingly, Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) were the first to arrive. They would perch on the bunch and feed on the ripe bananas. Only when the bananas fell to the ground would the Javan Mynas congregating below move in to feed. There would be tussles between rival pairs of mynas fighting to be the first to feed. Invariably every bird had an opportunity to feed. This is because of their method of feeding – making a quick move towards the fruits and taking a chunk to move away to feed. This allows others to move in.

I am surprised that the bulbuls were left in peace up on the banana bunch as on the ground, the mynas would always chase them away. Is this niche feeding? Are mynas ground feeders? Do they find it difficult to feed perching on the bunch?

According to R. Subaraj, mynas are primarily ground feeders though they will feed on fruits in trees where they can perch comfortably adjacent to the fruit itself.