“On 9th February 2010 at the Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, I saw/posted an odd behaviour of an adult female Brown Barbet (Calorhamphus fuliginosus hayii). It was high in the jungle canopy and saw it intentionally biting on a dried twig which it broke off (left).
“On 15th February 2011 at the Burmese Pool Trail, Taiping, Perak, I watched the same behaviour by an adult female and an adult male. The adult would walk or hop along a horizontal branch, again high up in a tree (10-12 meters up). It would then carefully/systematically inspect the underside of these branches. It would rip out a portion of the bark to look for prey. Even thin branches were also inspected, as were branches heavily saprophyted LINK. I then assumed that the earlier behaviour I watched was also a foraging activity.
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“On 15th October 2011, Ulu Kinta Forest Reserve, Perak, I saw an adult male (was the tail end of a mix foraging party/bird wave) pick up a dried stick and manipulate it in the beak to secure it and then flew off with it (above). I am now re-evaluating the first and third observations. I wonder if these twigs are used in some nesting activity (lining the nest)?
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
15th October 2011
