The Indian pied myna was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Sturnus contra.

[6][7] In the past the Indian pied myna has been included in the genera Sturnus and Sturnopastor but based on results from molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2008 it is now placed in the resurrected genus Gracupica that had been introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson.

[8][9][10] Two subspecies are recognised:[10] It is found mainly along the Gangetic plains extending south into Andhra Pradesh and east to Bangladesh.

The population in northeastern India (Sadiya to Tirap and the Naga Hills) was named as sordida (originally Sturnus contra sordidus) by Sidney Dillon Ripley in 1950.

The populations in Manipur south to Myanmar and east to Yunnan have the white extending over the eye and are included in the subspecies superciliaris first described by Edward Blyth in 1863.

G. jalla was likely driven to extinction in the wild due to the illegal songbird trade becoming increasingly pervasive in Indonesia, and in captivity it is likely threatened by hybridization with captured individuals of mainland pied myna species.

The upper body, throat and breast are black while the cheek, lores, wing coverts and rump are contrastingly white.

Their range is increasing, with populations establishing more recently in Pakistan,[13][15] Rajkot,[16] and Bombay (since 1953),[17] possibly aided by trade in caged birds and accidental escape.

[13] These starlings are usually found in small groups, foraging mainly on the ground but perching on trees and buildings.

Like many other starlings, they often use a prying or gaping action, piercing soil and then opening apart the bill to dislodge hidden food.

The nest is a loose mass of straw formed into a dome with an entrance on the side and placed in a large tree (often banyan, mango, jackfruit, rosewood[23]) or sometimes on man-made structures,[24] often close to human habitation.