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A strange looking minivet

on 17th December 2010

“I came across this unusual looking ‘minivet’ whilst birding at Old Pump House Road, Genting Highlands, Malaysia on 6th Nov 2010 (left). It was a lone bird and was with a bird wave comprising the male and female Grey-chinned Minivets, leafbirds, drongos, Mountain Fulvettas etc. I would be most grateful for assistance to ID it,” wrote Henry Goh. Se we sent the image to various of our contacts for comments.

KC Tsang thinks the colour of the bird looks a little ‘artificial’ and wondered if the image had been photoshopped. (It was only sharpened a little.)

Ng Bee Choo believes that it could be a juvenile Fiery Minivet (Pericrocotus igneus), it being much smaller that the Grey-chinned Minivet (P. solaris).

R Subaraj believes it may be a young male minivet or one with an odd colouration.

Dennis Young, who was sent the image by Subaraj, replied, “A really ‘strange minvet’. Not something I’ve seen yet. Robson (2002)’s description of the 1st summer male of the Long-tailed Minivet (P. ethologus) comes closest to the bird in the pic. Perhaps you ought to put it on the Web and see what happen. Do let me know when the dust has settled down on the bird’s id, won’t you?”

The jury is still out. So any further opinion is welcome.

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. I had earlier on commented that this is a sub-adult male Scarlet Minivet as well, the wing pattern is one of the best characteristic to identify the few similar looking minivets in the region. The two isolated small pieces at the secondaries.

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