“On 5th July 2012, at about 7.30 am, while walking to Changi Beach from carpark 7 (near Changi Ferry Terminal which is the launchpad to Pulau Tekong) for an intertidal survey, Neo Mei Lin (from NUS Marine Lab) and I saw (or rather almost bumped into) three Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) that flew in from a very low angle, descending to waist level before swooping up into a profusely flowering and fruiting tree near the beach.
“They then began to feed on the bright red fruit of the tree, which Teo Siyang of NUS’ Plant Systematics Laboratory identified as a Sterculia sp., possibly parviflora or macrophyllia.
“We think the tree was a cultivated specimen planted by National Parks Board and if so, would welcome the choice of more such trees in urban parks as a source of food for frugivorous birds.”
Marcus Ng
Singapore
6th July 2012
Note: An earlier post confirms that hornbills do eat the fruits of Sterculia LINK.
Bird Ecology Study Group Oriental Pied Hornbills and the foods they take
[…] Annonaceae: Annona muricata LINK. Cleastraceae: Bhesa robusta. Caricaceae: Carica papay LINK. Gramineae: Oryza sativa (discarded rice) LINK. Leguminosae: Leucaena leucocephala LINK. Moringaceae: Moringa oleifera LINK. Palmae: Carpentaria acuminata, Caryota mitis, Elaeis guineensis LINK, Oncosperma sp., Ptycospermun macarthuri LINK. Moraceae: Ficus benjamina, Ficus kerkhovenii, Ficus microcarpa LINK, Morus alba. Moringaceae: Moringa pterygosperma LINK. Musaceae: Musa cultivar. Myrtaceae: Psidium guajava LINK and Syzygium malaccense. Polygonaceae: Coccoloba uvifera LINK. Rubiaceae: Morinda citrifolia. Sapindaceae: Nephelium lappaceum LINK. Sterculiaceae: Sterculia parviflora or macrophyllia LINK. […]