Sexes alike. Rose-pink and black plumage; glossy black head, crest, neck, throat, upper breast, wings and tail; rest of plumage rose-pink, brighter with the approach of spring migration. Gregarious; flocks often contain young birds, crestless, dull brown and sooty; often along with other mynas on flowering Erythrina and Bombax trees; causes enormous damage to standing crops; seen also around grazing cattle and damp open lands; overall an aggressive and extremely noisy bird; huge roosting colonies, resulting in deafening clamour before settling.