Black Magpie – calls an unusual behaviour

on 27th July 2015

“Came across a pair of Black Magpie (Platysmurus leucopterus leucopterus) that was involved in nesting activities. I have begun to learn the locations and behaviour of some of the Black Magpie at this site.

“A recording HERE and waveform/sonogram (above) of the ‘xylophone’ sequence calls “tok-tok teling-klingk-klingk” (see Wells 2007).

“An unusual behaviour I saw of one adult tearing and pulling at a banana leaf (above). It did come away with a piece (above). My images were taken through much foliage and are limited in quality. I am unsure if this is for nesting or was there some prey hidden in the leaf (it was curled to begin with).”

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

Location: Ulu Kinta Forest Reserve, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Previously logged forest with secondary growth and some primary forest

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

2 responses

  1. Dear Amar,

    I used to remember as a child, I played in my home backyard and there were many banana trees with part of their leaves curled up. My curiosity took a better of me and I would tear off the curled bit that looked like leaf trumpets and uncoiled them to play with.
    I would find wrigglys in them. Now I believe they had to be caterpillars and sometimes in a phase of chrysalis. Also to recall, there were also spiders and webs in those coiled banana trumpeted leaves.

    Your Black MAGPIE was likely to be foraging.
    Cheers!

    Daisy

  2. Dear Amar, the banana leaf in your photograph has been cut in a manner typical of the work of the Banana Skipper (Erionota thrax), a member of the Hesperiidae. Though nominally classified as butterflies, some scientists feel that this family should have a classification of its own, somewhere between butterflies and moths.

    Banana Skippers fly in the evenings, and hover over flowers in the same way as Hawk Moths. They lay eggs on banana plants and are very prolific, with several generations per year. The young caterpillars start rolling leaves as soon as they are hatched.

    When young, they are light green, but as they get larger, they become covered with a white powder. This however can be brushed off to reveal the grey-green bodies underneath.

    They are relished by many species of birds, which, if they succeed in breaking open the rolled-up casings, knock off the white powder before swallowing the caterpillars. If they escape being eaten, manage to pupate and fly off, the empty, rolled-up cylinders are used as refuges by other insects. I have found spiders in many of them.

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