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Greater Racket-tailed Drongo building nest

on 2nd May 2009

Huang Chee Thong a.k.a bloodlamb documented a pair of Greater Racket-tailed Drongos (Dicrurus paradisus) actively building their nest high up on the bare branches of a tree. The pair had already dropped their rackets.

As the sexes cannot be distinguished, it cannot be established whether it was the male of the female that constructed the nest. Or for that matter, whether both participated in nest building.

The nest was actively being constructed, with the bare outline nearly completed. The tough pliable stems, most probably of climbers, have been used to attach the nest edge to the branch fork. The completed nest is a woven cup with the base not completely closed, allowing the eggs to be seen from below. Sometimes, spiders’ silk are used to bind the nest together

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.

Other posts by YC Wee

3 Responses

  1. as with many things, if you have enough time and enthusiasm, there are often ways to work around problems in field biology. I have found that individuals often have [very subtle] plumage features that are slightly different from the the other individuals of the species in the area. If you are only dealing with a handful of individuals specifically (like the pair Drongos), then it may be possible to at least tell these two apart, one from another. Then, with some luck, you might see something in the future that gives away the gender (like copulation). You could then work this back to your field notes to tell which individual spent the most time actually building the nest (at various stages) – this is another great way that photos can be used in field biology

    Happy birding
    Dale
    http://alpinebirds.blogspot.com

  2. Pingback: chee dale

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