“Stephen R Johnson, a graduate student of the founder of the Cowan Tetrapod Collection studied Crested Mynas. Johnson and McTaggart-Cowan published papers on this species and estimated the early 1970’s Greater Vancouver population at 5,000 – 6,000 birds. Crested Mynas used to live here at UBC!

This Vancouver phenomenon began prior to 1897 when 1 or 2 pairs of pet birds probably originally from China were released. The Crested Myna population peaked in 1925 and started to decline in the 1950’s when European Starlings arrived in this city. A micro-industry used to exist of birders coming to Vancouver to see the only North American population of Crested Mynas.

Irene and Clint Davy called this orphaned bird “Morris the Myna”. After hand-raising him, they consulted with the Vancouver Natural History Society (now Nature Vancouver) as to the best place to release Morris. It was recommended that he not be released because the Vancouver Crested Myna population was close to extinction. After living with Irene and Clint for 21 years, Morris died in his sleep. His death in 2007 was the final curtain on what used to be a Vancouver bird icon.”

Ildiko Szabo, Assistant Curator of Tetrapods at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.