Ashy Tailorbird feeding a large Plaintive Cuckoo fledgling

YC Wee
on 21st August 2013

Johnny Wee documented a pair of adult Ashy Tailorbirds (Orthotomus ruficeps) feeding a recently fledged Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) at Singapore’s Pasir Ris Farmway1 in mid-July 2013.

It must have been a strange sight to witness a pair of small tailorbirds feeding a larger cuckoo fledging that was more than twice their size. The tailorbirds must have worked extra hard looking for food to satisfy the hunger of this giant fledgling. With each feed, the tailorbird placed whatever food it managed to catch into the fledgling’s gape that was wide enough to accommodate the former’s head.

Cuckoos are well known for their parasitic behaviour of laying their eggs in the nests of other birds. Such behaviour allows the cuckoos to keep on reproducing without the need to build nests or to care for their offspring.

The only other instance of such a big difference in size between a host species and a large young of a brood parasite is seen HERE where a Pin-striped Tit-babbler (Macronus gularis) feeds a Drongo Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) juvenile.

Other instances of interspecific brood parasitism where the size differences were less significant include the following:

1. Golden-bellied Gerygone (Gerygone sulphurea) feeding Little Bronze Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx minutillus) juvenile HERE.

2. Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica) feeding a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo (Cacomantis sepulcralis) juvenile HERE and HERE.

3. Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) feeding Banded-bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii) fledgling HERE.

Credit: Johnny Wee (images) & Subaraj Rajathurai (identification)

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

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5th January 2025

From looking at birds to studying birds: The story of the Bird Ecology Study Group. Part 1: Looking at Birds.

12th December 2024

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14th September 2024

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2 responses

  1. Hi Johnny,

    Excellent record and photos. Just checking if you are positive of this being a juvenile Plaintive and have ruled out juvenile Rusty-breasted. If this is confirmed, this is a very important record as I cannot remember when the last breeding record for Plaintive Cuckoo was. This cuckoo species has declined drastically in Singapore and I consider it a scarce resident.

    Subaraj

    Reply

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