• Japanese: 九官鳥 (kyuukan chou), 八哥鳥 (haka chou, haha chou)

The mynah bird is a common bird in China, and today in Hawaii as well.

It was an auspicious bird to include in paintings in China since its name, Jiǔguānniǎo (J: kyûkanchô), literally means "nine offices bird," thus referencing the elite ranks of courtly life and power. In Japan, the mynah is also referred to as haha chô, which happens to be a homonym for "eight-eight bird," and since eight is a lucky number, so too is the mynah.

References

  • Timon Screech, Obtaining Images, University of Hawaii Press (2012), 47-48.