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Food and feeding

Like most starlings, the common myna is omnivorous. It feeds on insects, grubs, earthworms, arachnids, crustaceans, reptiles, small mammals, seeds, grain, fruits, flower nectar and petals, and discarded waste from human habitation. It forages on the ground among grass for insects, and especially for grasshoppers, from which it gets the generic name Acridotheres, "grasshopper hunter". It, however, feeds on a wide range of insects, mostly picked from the ground. It is a cross-pollinator of flowers such as Salmalia and Erythrina. It walks on the ground with occasional hops and is an opportunistic feeder on the insects disturbed by grazing cattle as well as fired grass fields. They prey on eggs and young of other birds, such as Hawaiʻi ʻakepas (Loxops coccineus). They sometimes even wade in shallow waters to catch fish. Living in close proximity to human-made habitats, common mynas may also appear near roadsides to feed on roadkill.