The Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) is a common resident in Peninsular Malaysia. In Singapore it is a non-breeding visitor, first reported in the mid-1996 in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. It was reportedly sighted a few more time in subsequent years.
The image reproduced here of a male bird, photographed in Malaysia in August 2008, are courtesy of Adrian Lim, a.k.a. wmw998.
“This nuthatch surprised me, as I didn’t expect it to be found at such low altitude. Not very good shots, the bird moved like a wound up toy, and I just could not get good eye contact.
This nuthatch is usually found on the trunk and main branches of lowland rainforest trees, even up to the lower montane forests. It forages by probing and prying bark fragments, moving at all angles. It is common to see it upside down on a branch. Wells (2007) reports that probably “most food is taken direct from surfaces; but none has been identified.
The tree the Velvet-fronted Nuthatch is on appears to be giant mahang (Macarange ginantea).
Reference:
Wells, D.R. (2007). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. II, Passerines. Christopher Helm, London.
Image by Adrian Lim. Tree ID courtesy of Ali Ibrahim and Prof Richard Corlett.
This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.
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