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Courtship feeding in Coppersmith Barbet

on 14th February 2011

Samson Tan documented a pair of Coppersmith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) indulging in courtship feeding. The images show the sequence of the feeding from left to right.

The sexes of these birds cannot be differentiated from their physical appearance. So with courtship feeding it is assumed that the bird that offers the food is the male.

Note that the assumed male has two fruits in his bill. After the first fruit has been passed on to the female, he will be ready to offer the second fruit. Maybe there would be a third? In earlier cases … courtship feeding usually comes before copulation or even during…

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

6 Responses

  1. I had just managed to watch their copulation at my garden days ago, the pair is copulating with male mouthfull, the male hop down after around 10 seconds of copulation where the male flaps frequently above the female. The male landed next to the female and seemed to look towards the female but female not responding, the male will soon hop up and copulates again. The copulation lasted 3 times while I was observing until the last time, the female turned over to accept the food offered and the male flew off, persumed into the nest hole for its “construction” job, I was unable to locate where it flew to anyway due to many obstructions from my view point.

  2. I rescued a Juvenile Coppersmith Barbet, and actually i wanted to know how can i feed him and what would be easier to feed according to availability. M from India :)Please Reply for necessary information for its feeding !

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