Long-tailed macaque feeds on durian
The spiky durian fruit is in season again. While Homo sapiens residing in Singapore wait for shipments to arrive from Malaysia and happily pay more than S$40 per kg (whole fruit weight), the long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) forage for them in … Continued
Sunbird removing faecal sacs
Sunbirds have been building their nests on my bedroom balcony ceiling for 12 years . I think it’s because we have ginger flowers in the planter around the balcony. The first nest appeared soon after we planted the ginger flowers … Continued
Plain Sunbird Anthreptes simplex Nesting
A few of us observed a pair of Plain Sunbird Anthreptes simplex nesting today (19th May 2022) at the fringe of a forest reserve in Ipoh, Perak. There are limited reports of nesting of this species and this is a preliminary report on … Continued
Straw-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) at Rifle Range Road
Straw-headed bulbuls, Pycnonotus zeylanicus, are vulnerable passerines of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo. Measuring 28 – 29 cm, they are rather large birds and their unique feather patterns make them stand out. Their melodious water gurgling songs attract … Continued
Dusky Langur eating leaves
Bee Choo Strange shared a video of this Dusky Langur (Trachypithecus obscurus) eating leaves, taken in February 2020 at Bukit Tinggi in Peninsular Malaysia. She finds the way it eats the leaves rather interesting. The Dusky Langur is considered threatened … Continued
Silver-eared Mesia – chattering calls
This is an older call recording of a social group of Silver-eared Mesias (Leiothrix argentauris tahanensis), sitting in a ‘thicket’ and chattering away. The chattering calls were done simultaneously by a few birds (2-3) at the same time. They were … Continued
Silver-eared Mesia – food source
No visit to the Cameron Highlands is complete without watching the Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris tahanensis). Food for such a common bird is not well documented. Wells 2007 says “no animal prey as yet identified” for this species locally. They are … Continued
Yellow Bittern – courtship behaviour
I had an opportunity to observe part of the courtship ritual of Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) today. In 2012 I had posted an observation about one type of courtship behaviour (Display Type I, Lansdown & Rajanathan 1993); repeated crest-raising displays … Continued
Birds Feeding on the flowers of Torch Ginger, also known as Bunga Kantan
The Etlingera elatior, commonly known as the Torch Ginger or Bunga Kantan, is an important plant in Southeast Asia and has spectacular flowers. The plant is cultivated for the flowers to be used as herbs, spices in dishes (rojak, laksa, … Continued
Brown-throated Sunbird – nectar feeding
Observed a female Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis malacensis) feeding on the nectar of the Cocos nucifera (Coconut) – one of the many food (nectar) sources these birds have. The bird made a number of calls while feeding. Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr) – Ipoh, … Continued
