Johnny Wee‘s images of the Chattering Lory (Lorius garrulus) eating the fruit of the Sea Almond (Terminalia catappa) was photographed at Singapore’s Lorong Halus. This is a new feeding record for Singapore. The only other parrot taking this fruit is Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffini), reported HERE and HERE.
Johnny Wee
Singapore
August 2013
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2 responses
From post: “This is a new feeding record for Singapore. The only other parrot taking this fruit is Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffini)”
In S’pore, I had seen a captive specimen of another introduced parrot Probosciger aterrimus (Palm Cockatoo) readily eat Terminalia catappa (Sea Almond) fruits that have been stripped of their thin exocarp & succulent pericarp.
The bird supports the remaining exocarp lengthwise between its bill & 1 foot, before using its lower bill to initiate a crack along the seams of the hard woody endocarp. At the same time, the cracked exocarp is lifted & stripped away with the help of its long muscular tongue.
The bird continues cracking & stripping the exocarp, until the result resembles a woody “saucer” with the edible kernel nestled in it. The bird then uses both its tongue & sharp edge of its upper bill to chisel out the kernel, before dropping the “saucer”. The whole process takes less than 1 minute.
Thanks for the info.