Search

Pied Triller nesting

on 28th June 2014

“Spotted a Pied Triller (Lalage nigra) nest with two chicks, the usual brood number (above). I was watching another bird and was already close to the nest (4-5 meters) before I spotted it.

“Decided to just stay still and the parents accepted my presence. They both brought insects prey frequently to feed the nestlings. Above image shows the male with a grasshopper, below the female with a caterpillar for the chicks.

At times the chicks were unable to handle a large prey, like a grasshopper, and the parent had to retrieve the prey and re-process it before re-feeding (below).

It was chilly morning so the female also remained at times at the nest to keep the chicks warm (below).

“The nest was located on the forked branch of a very young Rain Tree (Albizia saman) approximately 3.5 meters above the ground level (below). The nest construction included a strip of creeping ficus (Ficus pumila).

“One of the fascinating observations was how the adults and chicks dealt with waste. Just after feeding the female positioned herself at the rear of one of the chick in anticipation of receiving a faecal sac.

“There was some unspoken signal given for this to happen but I did not spot it. When the faecal sac, covered by a gelatinous membrane, was partially ejected (above), the female picked it up (below) for disposal some distance from the nest. I did not see the parents consuming any faecal sacs.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
25-29th April 2014

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

One Response

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories
Archives

Overall visits (since 2005)

Live visitors
1047
25802
Visitors Today
51764803
Total
Visitors

Clustrmaps (since 2016)