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Barred Eagle-owl mobbed by drongoes

on 29th January 2016

It was March 2014. Lee Li Er and husband Sam Wong were walking along Summit Path at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. All of a sudden there were loud calls of drongos as they flew through the lower tree canopy of the forest. Initially they thought the drongoe were mobbing a Colugo or Flying Lemur (Cynocephalus variegates). Then they noticed that the “Colugo” was perching on a branch and not hugging it. They soon realised that it was actually an owl, a Barred Eagle-owl (Bubo sumatranus) to be exact, that was the target of the drongoes (above). It was likely that the drongoes were protecting their active nest nearby.

Nocturnal owls roosting during the day try their best to remain as unobtrusive as possible. However, this Barred Eagle-owl was noticed and thus mobbed. The owl was hit a few times but there was no confirmation whether it was actually chased away.

Owls as well as raptors are regularly mobbed by other birds, usually much smaller than themselves. The attackers can suffer serious injuries should the victims fight back. But usually the latter simply move away.

This Barred Eagle-owl is an extremely rare non-breeding visitor to Singapore. In the 1920s it was a resident bird but subsequent large-scale deforestation slowly led to it disappearance from the scene.

Lee Li Er & Sam Wong
Singapore
December 2015

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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