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Whiskered Treeswift: Courtship and mating

on 20th June 2008

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The Whiskered Treeswift (Hemiprocne comata) is distinctive in its white facial stripes. It is a forest species and resident in Malaysia. In Singapore it is a rare, non-breeding visitor, although it used to be a fairly common resident before.

Mark Chua a.k.a cajuka managed to document the intimate moments of a pair of Whiskered Treeswifts that ended in copulation.

The image on the left shows the male with his chestnut ear-coverts that is lacking in the female on his left.

It appears that very little is known of the breeding behaviour of this species and every little observation helps to increase our knowledge of this bird.

The nest is a half-saucer of feathers and saliva attached to a thin branch. A single egg is laid. Both the adults incubate the egg and tend to the young.

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The images above and below show the male in the process of mounting the female to effect cloacal contact that lasts only a few seconds.

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An earlier post gives the nesting behaviour of the Grey-rumped Treeswift (Hemiprocne longipennis).

All images by Mark Chua.

This post is a cooperative effort between www.naturepixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

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

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