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Asian Koel swallowing Alexandra Palm fruits

on 14th November 2015

The Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) is a large bird that is extremely shy. When it senses someone is looking at it, it immediately moves behind a branch or leaves. This was exactly what happened when I chanced on it feeding on the fruits of my Alexandra Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) in my garden in July 2015.

Unlike the Pied Imperial-pigeons (Ducula bicolor) that fed openly on the fruits, this female Asian Koel moved behind the fruiting branch when it noticed me.

She was alone and quietly picking the ripe red fruits and, as with the imperial-pigeons, swallowing them whole LINK. Once the pulp of the fruit is removed from the seed in the muscular crop, the latter is regurgitated LINK.

The images by Sun Chong Hong from an earlier post LINK show the Asian Koel swallowing a fruit of the Ceram Palm (Rhopaloblaste ceramica) (above) to regurgitate the seed soon after (below).

Regurgitating allows the koel to consume more fruits than if it is to swallow the seeds and pass them through the gut, to eventually be ejected at the other end. Also, by regurgitating the seeds, excess dead weight is ejected, otherwise the bird may not be its usual agile self in flight, should it be pursued by a predator.

YC Wee
Singapore
November 2015
(Video by YC Wee, images by Sun Chong Hong)

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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