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A rare and unique White Leucistic Myna in Malaysia can be seen at Taman Botani Perdana or Perdana Lake Gardens in Kuala Lumpur. It has made this place home for the last few years, and I remember encountering it in 2019.

For birdwatchers or bird photographers who would like to see this, your chance of spotting it is reasonably high, as I have seen it on almost every trip, I made here, the last being on 18 December 2022.

Leucistic Myna Malaysia

Some people may call this White Myna or Albino Mina. Still, the Leucistic Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus) is not natural as it has Leucism, an abnormal condition of reduced pigmentation affecting various animals, even birds.

This Myna is usually white-coloured, compared to the normal black-greyish ones; however, the eyes, beak, and legs are the same colour, thus the leucistic term instead of an albino. The spelling is also tricky because some people spell it as Mynah, but overall, people recognise it as Myna.

Malaysia Albino Myna — The albino myna is spotted at the Perdana Lake Gardens in KL.

On each of my visits to the Perdana Lake Gardens, I will photograph it, and sometimes, I see the white myna flying around. But in December 2022, while looking for other birds, the Leucistic Myna appeared with a small flock of other mynas about 40-50 metres from where I was.

The difference between a Leucistic and Albino Myna

White bird with pink eyes: Albino
White bird with black eyes: Leucistic

There is also another term called Grey Horse, where it looks completely white with black eyes and nuzzles. A gray horse (or grey horse) has a coat colour characterized by progressive depigmentation of the coloured hairs of the coat.

Most grey horses have life-long black skin and dark eyes. The grey gene does not affect the skin or eye colour, and greying can occur at different rates—very quickly on one horse and very slowly on another. As adults, most grey horses eventually become entirely pure white.

Photos of the White Albino Myna at KL Lake Gardens

Acridotheres Cristatellus White Myna — The white myna is also known as Acridotheres cristatellus.

Malaysia White Mynah — The white myna is seen with other common Javan mynas.

In Malay, it’s called Burung Tiong Putih.I photographed in 2021 when I visited Taman Botani Perdana (Perdana Lake Gardens).

White Leucistic Myna — The back of the white myna.

Kuala Lumpur Lake Garden Leucistic Myna — Spotted with a flock of other common Javan mynas.

Albino Myna Malaysia — Most call it a White Myna.

Malaysia White Myna — The White Myna is cleaning itself.

Malaysia Albino White Myna — Feeding on the grass area of the KL Lake Gardens.

Video of the Leucistic Myna Malaysia

Below is a quick 30-second video of the unique white myna taken at the Perdana Lake Gardens in Kuala Lumpur.

Conclusion

You can also look at some of my other articles on birds of Malaysia, as I occasionally post articles on them. This project is self-funded; therefore, I don’t update daily, but whenever I can.

And for videos, you can check out my Malaysia bird videos on YouTube, as I have uploaded several videos on my Birdwatching Asia channel. Please also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.

If anyone would like to see this Leucistic Myna in Malaysia, your best chance is at the Taman Botani Perdana and usually in the mornings till about 11.00 AM. It is not found in one spot as it moves around the lake gardens.

In conclusion, when you use the term Albino or Leucistic, it can be controversial among other academics. Maybe it is better to use the simple term “White” Myna. The video above was taken at the river section of the lake gardens, near the bridge and large fig tree if anyone wants to know.