For a few weeks in July 2007 I was observing a single Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) visiting my starfruit tree (Averrhoa carambola). The bird would silently fly in during the late morning and flit from branch to branch gleaning insects, mainly ants. It would spend about five minutes in the tree before flying off.
The tailorbird had been absent for a few months since the failed nesting in my neighbour’s garden in March 2007. That nesting tragically ended when the adults abandoning the chicks (for whatever reason/s). As reported earlier, the chicks were found ‘mummified’ inside the nest about a month later.
Then on the evening (4.05 pm) of 4th August, I heard the sound of a fledging begging for food in the starfruit tree. The chiup-chiup-chiup was loud and consistent. On investigating, I found a few tiny birds moving around the tree, easily recognised as a family of Common Tailorbirds. The adults were silent and went about rapidly and confidently gleaning insects. (The image on the left appears to be an adult female.) One even flew down and foraged on the ground. One of the birds was a fledgling, perching on a branch, making begging calls and at the same time vibrating its wings.
There were one or two young juveniles about (top panel), not as helpless as the fledgling but clumsily went about catching ants. These juveniles moved about, but not as rapidly as the adults.
The birds were around for about 30 minutes before the family moved off to another tree.
YC Wee
Singapore
September 2007
