A viral video showing common myna birds calmly riding a Sydney train has surprised social media users, but experts say the behaviour is unsurprising as the birds have adapted to urban life and are likely seeking food.
Birds spotted on North Shore line
ABC producer Jackie Dent encountered a pair of myna birds on Sydney's inner-city North Shore line last month. The duo were perched on a seat together, well behaved and unmoving. Dent boarded at Roseville station and observed the birds as "very relaxed and at home".
After getting off at Chatswood to change trains, Dent spoke to a train guard to alert them about the birds. She wrote on social media: "I got off at Chatswood to change trains and spoke to a lovely train guard to raise the alert that two birds were stuck on the train."
The guard responded that the birds "always" caught the train, jumping on and off between Lindfield and Artarmon, supposedly to scrounge for food. Dent's post quickly went viral, with others sharing similar stories of birds exhibiting the same behaviour.
Experts explain the behaviour
Sean Dooley, senior advisor at BirdLife Australia, said it was "unusual" for birds to fly onto trains but not "unexpected". He noted that the common myna is a highly intelligent bird and that it seems very likely the same birds ride the same train to take advantage of food resources along the line.
Common mynas are monogamous and territorial, so the duo are likely a couple. Dooley added that the habit could spread to other mynas as they share behaviour. "They've learned to exploit all sorts of food resources from us, and they're particularly good at feeding on the waste that we have, whether it's in bins or stuff that's strewn around," he said. "Clearly they've worked out that there's a veritable smorgasbord along the Northern line."
Mynas are adaptable and intelligent
Associate Prof. Andrea Griffin, a wildlife conservation expert at the University of Newcastle, said the video "doesn't surprise me at all" as mynas are "incredibly accustomed" to living around humans, dating back to ancient Egypt. She described them as "incredibly good learners" with good memories and the ability to navigate home from large distances.
Griffin said she suspects the same birds are getting on and off the train, as mynas are loyal to their foraging areas and would predictably be on the platform at the same time each day. She echoed Dooley's suspicion that the behaviour is food-driven.
"They're not trying to go somewhere," she said. "They're not going out for a joyride. All you need, basically, is to have a bird where the door opens and there's some food at the entry and they hop on. And then they learn, 'oh, this is quite a good foraging ground. I might do this'."
