Helmeted Myna

The helmeted myna is a 24–25 cm starling with glossy black plumage and white patches on the sides of the face, neck and breast. Its defining feature is the tall, permanently upright crest: the crest feathers are roughly three times as long as those of the Sulawesi crested myna. The tail ends in a rounded outline. Older literature also calls it the greater king starling or Sula starling, names that can complicate searches for the species (Craig and Feare, Starlings and Mynas).

The species occurs in Indonesia in moist lowland and montane forest and swamp habitat. Published summaries describe fruit as food and record birds feeding high in trees, including immatures eating berries. They are seen singly, in pairs or in family groups and may associate with other fruit-eating birds. A nasal meeow call is accompanied by fluffed back feathers and a forward movement of the head. The sources opened report no confirmed nesting or clutch information, so none is inferred (Craig and Feare; Wikipedia general account).