Lee Chiu San submitted a list of birds that are attracted to the fruits of the Australian mulberry (Pipturus argenteus), a non-native plant, whose fruits are widely consumed by animals in its home country.
“This is a small tree (about 5 meters high) and somewhat sparse. The branches are brittle and break easily. It seems to spread readily as quite a number of seedlings have sprouted in the vicinity. The birds that I have seen in this tree so far are:,” noted Chiu San.
Yellow-vented Bulbul(Pycnonotus goiavier)
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)
Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis)
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
Javan mynah (Acridotheres javanicus)
Common mynah (Acridotheres tristis)
Red-breasted Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri)
Added to this is the Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) LINK.
We are currently compiling lists of birds that are attracted to the various plants growing in Singapore. Contributions are more than welcome.
The image of the fruits of Pipturus argenteus is courtesy of KF Yap LINK.
Lee Chiu San
Singapore
June 2012
KF Yap
What a pleasant surprise to see my plant pictures used in BESG. It is an invasive shrub and commonly found in waste and disturb land, seeding profusely. The fruits are sweet, gritty and quite edible. I sometimes eat them too.
YC
Any idea when the plant burst onto the scene? It was not around when I was surveying the scene.
DC
29 Apr 17
I found this plant in Windsor Nature Park at Venus Link trail. Birds came to forage the mulberries : a juvenile orange-bellied flowerpecker, asian glossy starling, yellow vented bulbul, olive-winged bulbul.