“Was out cycling with my wife when we spotted a feeding frenzy of birds on alate termites. This is not an uncommon occurrence and I have seen numerous episodes. [See video of a termite hatch HERE.]
“Despite the limited lighting we decided to try and document the behaviour with some images; I always carry a smaller lens with me.
“The birds seen feeding today include: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) (top); Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) (above); Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis); Pied Triller (Lalage nigra) (below)…
“…Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) (below); Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica); and I was unsure about the Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis).
“In the past I have also seen the following birds feeding on these swarming termites: Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis), Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis), White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica), Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense), Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis), Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), Asian Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) and Green-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis).”
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
19th April 2014
Location: Ipoh City, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Urban residential environment
Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
