Little Egret’s leg-tapping foraging strategy

on 23rd March 2011

On 7th March 2011, Geoff Lim sent in an image of the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) he documented in a drain along Jalan Todak, off Upper Thomson Road. “What’s amazing is that this is behind a row of shop houses in a very urbanised part of Singapore and it appeared oblivious to the people passing by. The bird was tapping the waters with one foot as it hunts for fish and small aquatic creatures.”

Two earlier posts (with video clips) on this foot-tapping foraging strategy can be seen HERE and HERE.

Geoff Lim
Singapore
March 2011

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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

One Response

  1. I had recently counted at least 20 of these near my neighborhood at an open sewage pond, when it peaks, at an open sewage pond just 5 minutes walk from my house, I had seen 30+ of them, it seemed that they are adapting to live alongside with humans recently but that is most likely due to their serious decline in suitable natural habitats, thats why they are forced to take drains and sewage ponds instead, since they didnt get the best habitat. This is also a recent kind of observation that is so far happened for a few years in my neighborhood and the number peaks during passage months.

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