How Much Does a Mynah Bird Cost?

Updated on August 28, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 14 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

A mynah bird can currently cost about $650 plus shipping for a common-type baby listing, around $3,000 for a current Indian Hill Mynah classified listing, and about $6,500 for Greater Indian Hill Mynahs from current U.S. breeder listings. Those are asking prices, not a national average, and the exact species name matters because marketplace listings are not always labeled consistently.

The purchase price is only the first layer. Mynahs need roomy housing, a diet suited to iron-sensitive softbills, regular avian veterinary care, and careful verification of the bird’s origin. Shipping alone can add hundreds of dollars, and large housing can cost as much as or more than a lower-priced bird.

Buyers should also separate Common Mynas from Common Hill Mynas and Bali Mynas. They are different birds with different conservation and trade status. A listing that simply says “mynah” is not enough information to judge whether the price is fair or whether the transaction is lawful.

Article Highlights

• Current U.S. ads show mynah asking prices from about $650 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 2.7 full-time workdays, before taxes) for a common-type baby listing to $6,500 for Greater Indian Hill Mynahs.
• A current $650 listing adds $200 shipping, raising the delivered bird price to $850.
• That $200 shipping charge equals about 30.8% of the advertised bird price.
• Common Hill Myna, Gracula religiosa, is currently classified globally as Least Concern, not Critically Endangered.
• Bali Myna, Leucopsar rothschildi, is a separate Critically Endangered species and belongs in a much stricter trade category.
• Mynahs are susceptible to iron storage disease, so food choice is a recurring ownership cost rather than a generic seed-budget line.

How Much Does a Mynah Bird Cost?

Current U.S. price signal	Asking price	What to know
June 2026 baby listing	$650 + (about 2.7 full-time workdays at $30 per hour) $200 shipping	The page title says Greater Indian Hill Mynah, but the seller description says “common mynah baby.” Treat the species identification as unresolved until documented.
Current Indian Hill Mynah classified	$3,000	Adult male classified asking price. Classified ads are evidence of asking prices, not completed-sale values.
July 2026 breeder listing	$6,500	Hand-fed baby listed as a Greater Indian Hill Mynah.

The spread is too wide to publish one clean “average mynah price.” The $650 listing itself demonstrates the problem because its title and description identify the bird differently. At the other end, current Greater Indian Hill Mynah listings can reach $6,500. Age, tameness, speech, DNA sexing, testing, breeder reputation, location, and rarity in the domestic market can all change the ask.

What You’re Buying

Mynah is a common name used for several starling-family birds. The Common Myna is Acridotheres tristis. The Common Hill Myna is Gracula religiosa. The Bali Myna is Leucopsar rothschildi. They should not be collapsed into one pet-market species.

A veterinary overview of pet mynahs identifies both Gracula species and Acridotheres tristis in the pet context and notes that mynahs are active birds requiring large housing. For a buyer, the scientific name is much more useful than a sales label such as “talking mynah.”

The Common Hill Myna is also not globally Critically Endangered. A current Common Hill Myna assessment lists Gracula religiosa as Least Concern on the global Red List. Trade pressure can still matter even when a species is not in a threatened global category.

The Bali Myna is different. Recent conservation research still describes Leucopsar rothschildi as Critically Endangered. It should not appear in an ordinary pet-price table beside Common or Hill Mynas as though all three are interchangeable retail choices.

Shipping Is a Hidden Cost

The lower-priced current listing provides unusually clear math. The bird is advertised at $650 (about 2.7 full-time workdays at $30 per hour) and shipping is $200. The delivered bird price becomes $850 before a cage, food, veterinary exam, toys, perches, or local transportation.

The freight charge alone adds 30.8% to the advertised price because $200 ÷ $650 = 0.3077. This matters most at the low end. A buyer attracted to a $650 listing is not really starting at $650 if the seller is several states away.

Shipping also creates a verification issue. The same listing that posts the $200 freight charge contains conflicting species wording. Paying for transport before confirming the scientific name, hatch information, identification records, health terms, and seller policies can turn a seemingly inexpensive bird into an expensive dispute.

Housing Can Rival the Bird Price

Mynahs are not small-cage birds. The veterinary housing guidance cited above gives a minimum cage size of roughly 2 feet high by 3 feet wide by 3 feet long. Floor dimensions matter because these birds hop and move horizontally.

Large ready-made housing can be expensive. One current 48-by-36-inch cage example costs $1,799.95. Its footprint exceeds that 3-by-3-foot minimum, but the product uses 1-inch bar spacing and is marketed for large parrots. It is a price example, not a mynah-specific cage recommendation. Bar spacing, construction, access, coating, and layout still need to match the individual bird.

The cost comparison is striking. That $1,799.95 cage example is about 2.77 times the $650 lower-priced bird listing. Buying the bird first and solving housing later can reverse the expected budget, with the enclosure becoming the larger purchase.

There is also a practical cleanup cost. Mynahs eat moist foods and can be messy around the cage. Housing that allows easy tray, wall, and floor cleaning may be worth more than the cheapest enclosure that merely fits in the room.

Low-Iron Food Changes the Budget

Mynahs are unusually sensitive to dietary iron. The Merck Veterinary Manual recommends a low-iron pelleted diet for captive mynahs because of their risk of iron storage disease and gives a target of no more than about 100 ppm iron. It also warns that high-vitamin-C foods can increase iron absorption.

That makes ordinary bird seed or a generic parrot mix a poor way to estimate food cost. A current 2-pound softbill diet is listed at $22.99 by the manufacturer and is formulated for iron-sensitive birds including mynahs. The manufacturer publishes batch iron analyses rather than treating the food as a standard seed mix.

Bulk size can change the unit cost substantially. The $22.99 two-pound package works out to about $11.50 per pound. A current 15-pound bag sold for $51.99 works out to $3.47 per pound. The larger package is roughly 69.8% cheaper per pound. That savings only works if the owner can store and use the food within the product’s storage guidance.

Legal Trade Rules Matter

A domestically bred bird already in the United States is a different purchase from importing an exotic bird. The Wild Bird Conservation Act limits or prohibits many exotic-bird imports when trade would not meet federal conservation requirements. Importing a bird from another country can require federal authorization even when a domestic purchase would not.

International trade status also depends on species. Common Hill Myna is listed in CITES Appendix II, while Bali Myna is listed in Appendix I. State and local possession rules can add another layer, so a buyer should verify the exact scientific name and location rules before sending a deposit.

This is one reason a cheap overseas offer should not be compared directly with a U.S. captive-bred listing. Freight, permits, eligibility to import, quarantine or health requirements, and the legality of the source can matter more than the advertised bird price.

Three First-Year Cost Scenarios

Lower-price shipped listing: the current $650 bird plus $200 shipping equals $850. Add the current $22.99 two-pound low-iron food example and the documented subtotal is $872.99 before housing, veterinary care, fruit, perches, toys, and other supplies.

Current Indian Hill classified: start with the current $3,000 asking price. Add the same $22.99 food example and the known subtotal becomes $3,022.99 before housing, travel, veterinary care, or supplies. A local pickup could avoid air freight, but transportation still has a cost.

Higher Greater Indian Hill listing: the current breeder ask is $6,500. Add $22.99 for the same starter food example and the subtotal becomes $6,522.99 before housing and veterinary care. If a buyer also chose the $1,799.95 large-cage price example used above, the combined bird, cage, and starter-food figure would reach $8,322.94. That cage is used only to show cost scale and still requires a species-appropriate suitability check.

When This Cost Makes Sense

Makes sense if:

• You can document the exact species, origin, age, and seller before paying.
• You have access to an avian veterinarian familiar with softbills.
• Your housing budget is separate from the purchase price and large enough for a suitable enclosure.
• You can maintain a low-iron feeding plan rather than relying on generic bird food.

Does not make sense if:

• The seller cannot give a consistent species identification.
• The bird price consumes the entire budget and leaves little for housing or veterinary care.
• You are depending on an overseas shipment without checking federal import requirements.
• You mainly want a talking bird but have not compared the cost and care needs of alternatives such as a Green Cheek Conure or Lorikeet.

Unusual bird prices also need legal context. A species such as the Kiwi bird belongs to a very different conservation and ownership category, which is another reason pet-bird prices should never be compared without identifying the species first.

What We Verified

• Checked: the current CITES checklist used to verify the international trade categories attached to the scientific names rather than relying on generic “mynah” labels.
• Confirmed: a 2026 U.S. Fish & Wildlife notice states that, with limited exceptions, the Wild Bird Conservation Act prohibits importing exotic birds without federal authorization.
• Cross-referenced: the current Greater Indian Hill Mynah marketplace shows two active listings at $6,500, supporting the current high-end asking-price signal.
• Verified: a current 15-pound softbill-food listing is $51.99, or $3.47 per pound, and is formulated for iron-sensitive softbills.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does a mynah bird cost in 2026?
Current U.S. asking prices vary sharply. Recent examples include $650 plus $200 shipping for a listing described as a common mynah baby, about $3,000 for an Indian Hill Mynah classified, and $6,500 for Greater Indian Hill Mynah breeder listings.

Why are Hill Mynahs so expensive?
Domestic availability is limited, and buyers may pay more for hand-fed birds, established speech, health testing, DNA sexing, breeder reputation, and verified captive-bred origin. Current asking prices should not be treated as guaranteed sale values.

Is the Hill Myna critically endangered?
The Common Hill Myna, Gracula religiosa, is globally listed as Least Concern. The Bali Myna, Leucopsar rothschildi, is a separate Critically Endangered species.

What does a mynah eat?
Veterinary guidance calls for a diet designed for iron-sensitive softbills rather than a generic seed diet. The exact feeding plan should be set with an avian veterinarian because mynahs are susceptible to iron storage disease.

Can I import a mynah into the United States?
Do not assume an overseas sale can be imported like an ordinary domestic pet purchase. Federal exotic-bird import restrictions and CITES rules can apply, and the requirements depend on species, source, and purpose.