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Whitehead’s Broadbill nest

on 18th October 2009

Wee Hiang Her’s image of the nest of the Whitehead’s Broadbill (Calyptomena whiteheadi) was photographed at the Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia in October 2009. The bird is endemic to the island of Borneo.

The nest is a massive oval structure with a distinct tail. It is attached to a slender branch, unlike in Dusky Broadbill’s (Corydon sumatranus) where it is attached to a long thorny tip of a rattan palm’s frond [also see here].

As in most of these nests, the outside is decorated with bryophytes, giving the appearance that the entire structure is a typical trailing mass of rotting vegetation with bryophytes growing on it.

Peeping from the nest entrance are two green chicks.

Smythies (1999) gives a good account of the nest.

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.

Other posts by YC Wee

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