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Rufous-bellied Eagle taking a Pink-necked Green Pigeon

on 9th September 2008

KC Tsang was at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on 7th September 2008 when he encountered a raptor catching a Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans).

“We had a bit of drama and excitement at the carpark of SBWR, 12.50pm, as I was packing my equipment to leave, a raptor swooped on to a sleepy Pink-necked Green Pigeon on a branch just above us. A visitor yelled ‘The eagle has got something.’ So got my gear out of the boot, and started taking pictures. However a family nearby also saw where I was pointing my camera, started making a lot of commotion thus ended the whole drama when the bird flew away with his prey.
”

The raptor was a sub-adult Rufous-bellied Eagle (Hieraaetus kienerii formosus), a rare winter visitor and passage migrant. Its range includes Myanmar, Indochina, Thailand, the Malay Peninsular, south to Sumatra, Borneo, Java and the Lesser Sundas and the Philippines (Wang & Hails, 2007). In Singapore it is a rare winter visitor and passage migrant, arriving from early August to early May, reportedly together with migrating sparrowhawks and honey-buzzards (Wells, 1999).

This raptor is a typical aerial hunter, taking prey on or near the ground or on treetops, usually after a spectacular swoop. Cook (1911) reported a bird crashing through the foliage onto a party of green-pigeons in Myanmar. Chasen (1939) reported the raptor attacking Domestic Fowl, Town Pigeons, Pacific Golden Plover and Black-capped Kingfisher. Thiollay (1994) on the other hand documented the eagle taking birds like pheasants, junglefowl and pigeons, as well as mammals like squirrels.

You can view more dramatic images of this eagle at Mark Chua’s website. Also, view the videos of an adult eagle that lost its prey to some Large-billed Crows at the Kaziranga National Park, India HERE.

References:
1.
Chasen, F. N. (1939). The birds of the Malay Peninsular. Vol. IV: The commoner birds. H.F. & G. Whiterby, London.
2. Cook, J. P. (1911). Uncommon birds of Burma. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 21: 265-267.
3. Thiollay, J. M. (1994). Family Accipitridae (Hawks and Eagles). Pp. 52-205 in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 2. New world vultures to guineafowl. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
4. Wang, L.K. & Hails, C. J. (2007) An annotated checklist of birds of Singapore. Raffles Bull. Zool. Suppl. 15:1-179.
5. Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London. 648 pp.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

3 Responses

  1. The Rufous-bellied Eagle is no longer considered a rare winter visitor here as recent years have produced at least 1-2 records each winter.

    With the identification of birds in non-adult plumage, we now realise that this species is not as rare as we once thought.

  2. Oops! Sorry! I meant to add that the current status for the Rufous-bellied Eagle, in Singapore, should be Uncommon Migrant.

  3. Pingback: lesser sundas

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