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Ruddy Kingfisher: Eating a snail, then casting a pellet

on 7th November 2006

The Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda), an uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor to Singapore, made a brief appearance of a few days towards the end of October 2006. Once news got around, birders and photographers congregated at Jurong, near the Chinese Garden, to get a glimpse and/or to take a picture of this rare bird.

Allan Teo was among the fortunate few who witnessed the bird manipulating a snail. After it got a firm hold of the mollusc in its bill, it expertly removed the shell by smashing it against the perch, first against one side, then against the other (above).

It then used the horizontal force of its head swing that resulted in the smashed shell pieces flying apart, leaving only the meat. Happy with the shell-less snail, the kingfisher swallowed its prize catch (above: note damp patches on either side of the bird’s perch where the snail was whacked).

After having their fill with the kingfisher, most of the people moved off to look for other rare birds. The few who patiently remained witnessed an usual event, the casting of a pellet. This came more than an hour after the kingfisher consumed the snail.

The bird first made some sort of retching action, giving the appearance as if it was about to vomit. Then the bill widened substantially to show the large gape and equally large opening into the throat (above).

At the same time the body bent forward – and suddenly out popped the pellet (above). Unfortunately the actual moment when the pellet appeared was not caught on film.

The pellet ended in the undergrowth below the tree and it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack to try retrieve it.

Input from Allan Teo, images by Allan (top three) and Chan Yoke Meng (bottom three).

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.

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