Common Myna vs Great Tit
Acridotheres tristis compared with Parus major
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Common Myna | Great Tit |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Acridotheres tristis | Parus major |
| Order | Passeriformes | Passeriformes |
| Family | Sturnidae | Paridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 25.0 cm (9.8 in) | 14.0 cm (5.5 in) |
| Wingspan | 38.0 cm (15.0 in) | 24.0 cm (9.4 in) |
| Weight | 120.0 g (4.23 oz) | 18.0 g (0.63 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous — insects, fruit, grain, and kitchen scraps. Bold and opportunistic around human settlements. | Insects and spiders in summer, seeds and nuts in winter. A frequent and dominant visitor … |
| Clutch Size | 2-6 | 3-18 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Common Myna
Urban areas, farmland, and open woodland. Closely associated with humans and one of the most successful avian urban colonizers.
Great Tit
Deciduous and mixed woodland, parks, gardens, and hedgerows. Readily uses nest boxes. Highly adaptable to human environments.
Song & Call Comparison
Common Myna
A noisy, cackling chatter and melodious whistling mixed together. An accomplished mimic of other birds and sounds. Gives repeated 'mee-ow' and harsh 'quarr' alarm calls.
Great Tit
A repetitive, teacher-teacher 'tee-cher, tee-cher, tee-cher'. Also gives ringing 'pink-pink' alarm. Highly versatile singer; over 40 song variants recorded from a single male.
Geographic Range & Migration
Common Myna
Native to South and Southeast Asia. Introduced and invasive in Australia, South Africa, Middle East, and many Pacific islands.
Great Tit
Widespread across Europe and Asia from Britain to Japan, and south to North Africa and Southeast Asia.
Conservation Status
Common Myna
Great Tit
How to Tell Them Apart
Common Myna
Brown body with a glossy black hood, yellow bill, and bare yellow skin behind the eye. White wing patches conspicuous in flight. Yellow legs.
Strong, slightly curved yellow bill
Great Tit
Blue-black head with white cheeks. Olive-green back, yellow underparts with a broad black central stripe. White wing bar and blue-grey tail.
Short, stout, dark bill
About These Birds
Common Myna
The common myna has been named one of the world's 100 worst invasive species by the IUCN. Originally from South Asia, it has been introduced to tropical regions worldwide where it outcompetes native birds for nest cavities. Despite its invasive status, the myna is an intelligent and charismatic bird capable of mimicking human speech.
Great Tit
The great tit is the largest European tit and one of the most studied wild birds in the world. Research at Wytham Woods in Oxford has monitored great tit populations since the 1940s, contributing enormously to ecology and evolution. These innovative birds famously learned to open milk bottle tops in 20th-century Britain.