Blue-naped Parrot eating sea almond fruits and flowers

YC Wee
on 18th April 2009

GS Soh photographed a Blue-naped Parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis) in Tanjong Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia in March 2009. The parrot was gnawing at the unripe fruits of the sea almond (Terminalia catappa) to get at the seeds. It also took young inflorescence stalks.

This parrot is found in Palawan and the Philippines, reaching a few islands off Borneo. Its occurrence in Tanjong Aru has been suggested to originate from escapes (Smythies, 1999).

It feeds basically on plants – fruits bark, leaves, flowers and buds. As for sea almond, the Blue-naped Parrot has been reported to take young leaves and fruits, but not young flowering inflorescence.

Reference:
Smythies, B. E., 1999. Birds of Borneo. Natural History Publications & The Sabah Society, Kota Kinabalu. (4th ed., revised). 853 pp.

This post is a cooperative effort between 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.

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