“I was watering my garden plants in the shade of my apartment, in the heat of a hot afternoon on 25 Jan 2012 when I realised that a juvenile Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) was following closely behind me. Curious to find out what it was up to, I took my camera, squatted down and observed. It was sipping water droplets from the leaves.
“Towards the end of the edited video, the sound of its poo dropping on a cement block could be heard clearly as it was very close to me. It was so comfortable with me that it was just within my arm’s reach at one point. I tried sticking my hand towards it but it immediately moved away slightly.
“I then decided to test its reaction by sprinkling some water on it. The myna hesitated for a split second and then began to enjoy it as a water bath, in spite of repeated warnings from the parents. Above is the video to show its relish.”
Sun Chong Hong
Singapore
16th February 2012
Gretchen
I haven’t watched birds drinking from leaves often. Do adult birds do this commonly?
Bird Ecology Study Group Brown-throated Sunbird enjoys a leaf bath
[…] “On a related note, there was an earlier account of a juvenile Javan Myna sipping water from the leaves of plants that I have just watered and enjoying a water bath at a grass patch LINK.” […]