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Birds do eat the dragon fruit Hylocereus undatus

on 5th April 2013

The dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) was introduced to this part of the world only during the last few years as a dessert fruit. Initially, fruits with whitish-grey flesh and tasting bland were sold in supermarkets. Later, the sweetish, reddish fruits were introduced (below).

The plant is an epiphytic or climbing cactus. The green stem is angular, spiny and scrambles over supports, including other plants, bearing roundish, red fruits (above left). Flowers are large, fragrant and open in the evening (above right). Originating from Central and South America, it is now cultivated in many Southeast Asian countries.

Tan Teo Seng grows the plant in his Malaysian farm in Kota Tinggi, Johor. He reports that birds do not eat the sweet flesh embedded with tiny black seeds, or any other animals for that matter. This is because the fruit is a recent introduction and animals have yet to discover it. In an effort to confirm his claims, I obtained a few fruits from him and placed them in my garden. He was right, no animals, including squirrels and birds like Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus), Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) and Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) came anywhere near the fruits for some time.

Then on the morning of 18th March 2013, I noticed that the fruit left in the garden had nearly all its flesh removed after being intact for two days. Keeping watch, a family of Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), two adults and a juvenile, was seen coming back regularly to finish off the fruit. The two adults were eating the fruit (above) as well as feeding the begging juvenile with bits and pieces (below).

A few weeks later, with a fresh supply of fruits, I tried again. This time the family of Red-whiskered Bulbul was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to photograph a Yellow-vented Bulbul eating the fruit (below).

These are possibly new feeding records for Singapore. I am sure in countries where these fruits are grown commercially, there would be reports of birds eating them. With time other species will be introduced to these fruits and in the process the seeds will be dispersed around Singapore.

YC Wee & Tan Teo Seng
Singapore
March 2013

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

7 Responses

  1. Very interesting post! Seems like the birds initially weren’t sure if it was edible. But someone had to try eventually! Hope to see more experiments of this sort in the future. (By the way, Javan mynas LOVE papayas. Did an experiment of my own a few months ago!)

      1. I always have to clean up myna faeces on my window frame and sometimes see whole berries (from palms) passed out. And almost always there are some kinds of small seeds in the poop as well. So birds are very good seed dispersers I would believe.

  2. I understand that Dragonfruit species with intensely-red pulp (as eaten by birds in the above photos) is known as Hylocereus costaricensis [misapplied: H. polyrhizus] (Costa Rica Pitaya, Buah Naga Merah Super).

    In Kluang Malaysia where Hylocereus costaricensis is cultivated & sold, I observed that the fruits (& pulp juices) are consumed by Long-Tailed Macaques.

    As for the case in Singapore, have you tried putting out the below similar-looking/tasting fruits for birds & other fauna ? What is their reaction ?

    * Hylocereus undatus (Buah Naga Putih) – white pulp, pinkish-red peel
    * Hylocereus polyrhizus (Buah Naga Merah) – red pulp, pinkish-red peel
    * Hylocereus megalanthus (Buah Naga Berkulit Kuning) – white pulp, yellow peel

  3. Yes, you may be right. However, there appears to be a lot of confusion about the correct name – and I am yet to be convinced which is the right one. I will try get the fruits with white pulp and leave it outside… Thanks for the info on the macaques.

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