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Stork-billed Kingfisher foraging on a rotting branch

YC Wee
on 31st October 2008

On 1st October 2008, Jay Tan a.k.a. jay documented a series of images of a Stork-billed Kingfisher (Halcyon capensis) picking off pieces of rotting wood off its perch at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

“Was at SBWR yesterday and saw this storky picking off tree bark from the branch it was perching on. It went on to whack the bark around and did something like munching on it… It did not swallow the entire bark though and finally dropped it. What is it actually trying to do? Anybody can shed some light?”

Stork-billed Kingfisher feeds mainly on fish, crabs and other crustaceans. It also takes frogs, lizards, rodents, young birds and insects like beetles as well as insect larvae. Its perch in the images above is a rotting branch. It is possible that the bird was pecking off pieces to expose insect larvae…

Image by Jay Tan.

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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Bird Society of Singapore: A credible alternative to the Nature Society’s Bird Group

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Singapore-Nature: 17. Citizen Science

30th August 2023

Singapore-Nature: 16. Living close to nature

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Any views and opinions expressed in the articles 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.

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