Cinder Lichen vs Collared Myna

Aspicilia cinerea compared with Acridotheres albocinctus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cinder Lichen	Collared Myna
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Pertusariales (Pertusariales)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Megasporaceae	Sturnidae
Genus	Aspicilia	Acridotheres
Species	Aspicilia cinerea	Acridotheres albocinctus

Conservation Status

Cinder Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Collared Myna

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cinder Lichen	Collared Myna
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cinder Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States.

Collared Myna

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway.

Cinder Lichen

Cinder lichen (Aspicilia cinerea) is a crustose lichen in the family Megasporaceae, found widely across the Northern Hemisphere in boreal, montane, and arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. It grows as a flat, gray to ash-gray crust on exposed siliceous rock surfaces—particularly granite, gneiss, and other hard acidic rocks—in open, high-light environments such as moorland boulders, mountain crags, stream-side rocks, and coastal outcrops. The cinder lichen's granular to warty thallus and its pale gray color, reminiscent of volcanic ash or cinder, give the species its common name. Aspicilia cinerea is classified as Least Concern, with widespread and abundant populations in suitable rocky habitats. Like many saxicolous lichens, it is extremely slow-growing and may live for centuries on stable rock surfaces. The species forms part of diverse epilithic lichen communities that colonize bare rock and contribute to biological weathering and soil formation. It is resistant to desiccation and temperature extremes, making it well adapted to exposed subalpine and arctic environments. Cinder lichen has been used as a model organism in studies of lichen growth rates and rock weathering. The genus Aspicilia is one of the largest in lichenized fungi, and molecular work has substantially revised its circumscription.

Collared Myna

The Collared Myna, known scientifically as <em>Acridotheres albocinctus</em>, is a passerine bird belonging to the starling family Sturnidae. <em>Acridotheres albocinctus</em> is recognised by its contrasting plumage, which typically features a dark body with a distinct white collar or band — a feature reflected in both its common and scientific names. As a member of the myna genus Acridotheres, this species generally inhabits open woodland, grassland edges, and areas associated with human settlement, where it forages on the ground for invertebrates, fruits, and seeds. It is reported to occur in Norway according to available range data. Detailed biological traits including typical lifespan, body length, and weight are poorly documented for this species in available literature. The Collared Myna is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that the global population is considered stable without significant conservation concerns at this time.