“Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) – a sweet, succulent, seasonal fruit of the tropics is currently in season. When ripen, their soft, spiky, thick skins turn red/yellow pending their species. The variety of red species is the commercial favourites amongst locals and of export quality. Suspended in bunches, these fruits attract a host of mixed frugivores eating species- mammals, insects including different species of birds.
“My visitation to a private fruit orchard in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia provided interesting fruit eating observation of a Blue-crowned Hanging-parrot (Loriculus galgulus) partake of his lunch at 12.15pm.
“With mandibles like can opener, this small (12-14.5cm) male of an expert nut cracker seemed to peel off the rambutan’s skin with ease (above).
“Through my Fieldscope, I was able to observe this so colourful male relishing the fleshy white succulence of the fruit (below left).
“The whole feasting period took one whole minute before the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot flew off. Even the skins were not wasted (above right).
“Another visitor was waiting patiently in queue.
“Who could it be but the… next colourful post coming up!”
Avian Writer Daisy O’Neill
Penang, Malaysia
4th January 2012
Optics used: Fieldscope ED82+30x+ Digital camera P3.
Copyright Article & Images: Copy courtesy of Daisy O’Neill Bird Conservation Fund
One Response
The tank is far to small for a parrot fish or a tang (what I’m asuimsng you means by those blue fishes A clownfish would be fine. How many fish you can keep depends on the fish, marine tanks have much lower stocking capacities than freshwater tanks. However honestly if you don’t even know the names of the fish you want to keep you don’t know near enough to even attempt a saltwater tank.