Our earliest account of the nesting of a pair of Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) was posted in May 2006 LINK. Now Johnny Wee has documented another nesting at Pasir Ris Park. Also see this LINK.
The image above-left shows the male feeding the a chick in the nest. In his bill is a mistletoe fruit, the whiteness is the sticky mucilage covering the seed. Note that the nest is crudely constructed on the outside with plant materials, allowing the inner layer to be clearly seen. The inside is lined with a thick layer of floss, most probably from the fruits of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). The image on the right shows a female feeding two chicks, again with the same fruit. “At times they feed the chicks with spiders, ants and other insects,” wrote Johnny.
Immediately after feeding, the adult would pick up the faecal sac from the vent of the chick to dispose of away from the nest (above right). The adult also does nest cleaning, removing wastes from inside the nest (above left).
The above image shows the male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker handing over a mistletoe fruit to his mate, the sticky mucilage causing a delay in the transfer.
Johnny Wee
Singapore
April 2012
