Bald Headed Myna at KLCC Park

Pool with 2 Dolphins and a Whale.

KLCC Park is a beautiful landscaped garden designed by the reknown Brazilian landscape designer, the late Mr Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994). It is reputed to be his last masterpiece. When he designed the park, his intention was to "leave the world a little more sensitive and a little more educated to the importance of nature".




I visited the KLCC Park for the first time recently and boy, was I impressed!

Here, you can find rolling green fields and lush tropical rainforests trees, evergreen plants and flowering shrubs which are indigenous to Malaysia. The construction and planning of this park took into consideration conservation, biodiversity and environmental factors. For example, some of the rare and mature trees from the former Selangor Turf Club had been saved and transplanted here. They have also planted many species of palm trees.

It was indeed a pleasant experience walking around this beautiful garden. There are many benches for visitors to sit down, have a rest and relax. I see a family having a picnic lunch together, some teachers bringing young school children to have fun here, couples taking a leisurely stroll, a guy reading a book and a lady sitting on the grass, doing her work/study assignment.

There are quite a number of beautiful little birds here. I saw a yellow bird feeding on some fruits high up in the trees. On the ground were some pigeons and mynas searching for food. Look what I have found here. It is a bald headed myna (Aridotheres tristis). I wonder why it is botak (our local term for baldness).

This phenomenon is happening among cities in other countries too. The bald headed myna has been spotted in Singapore and Durban, South Africa, but I can't seem to find enough research information about it. Why do common mynas get bald and how did they loose their feathers?

Some possible (funny) reasons:
a) It lost its feathers due to fighting. Maybe the feathers was pecked off. These myna/mynahs are known to be territorial birds who are very noisy. They fight for food and mates. They even evade other birds' nests. They have adapted well to city living.

b) Poor diet, nutrition or nutrient deficiency.

c) Some kind of feather diseases or mites.

d) They loose their feathers due to stress of city living, just like us humans.

Why are they bald and what do you think?

Sources of information on history of KLCC Park design:
(a) KLCC Park opened document
(c) Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #6. To view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please click here.

This is also my entry for Camera Critters #82. To participate or view other cutie friends, click here.