Francis Yap visited the Jelutong Tower at Singapore’s Central Catchment Nature Reserve a few times in May 2012 to photograph birds. There by the tower, he noticed a plant bearing large round inflorescences. The image above shows a Van Hasselt’s Sunbird (Purple-throated) (Leptcoma brasiliana) with a flower in its bill. It would appear that the sunbird was eating the flower for the nectar it contains.
According to Prof. Hugh TW Tan and Prof. RT Corlett, both from the School of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, the plant is Poikilospermum suaveolens (Family: Urticaceae), an epiphytic climber.
Francis also documented an adult male Greater Green Leafbird (Chloropsis sonnerati) (above left), a juvenile (above right) (photographed last year) as well as a Blue-winged Leafbird (C. cochinchinensis) taking the flowers (left).
He surfed the net and located images of leafbirds attracted to these same flowers: LINK 1 and LINK 2.
“My friends have also confirmed the sighting of a female Lesser Green Leafbird (C. cyanopogon) at the same location (Jelutong Tower, same plant) but I’ve missed that.” added Francis. “…there seems to be a preference for this particular plant by the leafbirds. I’ve seen the Blue-winged Leafbirds hunt for insects and they are known to frequent figging trees and the cherry tree (Muntingia calabura). Lastly, just a quick Google search reveals that this plant is the only known local host of the Chocolate Sailor butterfly: LINK.”
Francis Yap
Singapore
June 2012
4 responses
Just like to add that when this epiphytic climber was in full bloom at Jelutong Tower, a male Greater Green Leafbird appeared to have claimed ownership of this prime real estate, chasing away any bird (bulbuls, sunbirds, flowerpeckers) and even squirrel (with little success though) that came to feed on the flowers. I had personally sighted all 3 species of leafbirds visiting this plant in a single morning.
Most interesting observation, See Toh. Thanks.