Lim Sheau Torng documented a new feeding behaviour of the Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) when eating the fruits of the Indian cherry (Muntingia calabura).
The Yellow-vented Bulbul picked a fruit and tried to swallow it. It failed, possibly because its gape is not wide enough. The bird then pushed the fruit out and flattened it before successfully swallowing in on the second attempt.
The Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) has been earlier reported eating the fruit by squeezing it between its mandibles to drain the juicy content into its throat, discarding the shell after, as seen in this video. The Yellow-vented Flowerpecker (Dicaeum chrysorrheum) similarly eats the fruit the same way LINK.
Lim Sheau Tong
Singapore
December 2012
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