Oriental White-eye nest destroyed by sunbird

Johnny Wee came across an Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) in its nest (above) that was chased off by an aggressive female Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis).

The sunbird then started dismantling the white-eye’s nest bit by bit before flying off (above).

An hour later when Johnny checked on the nest, it was totally destroyed (above). Most of the materials were lying on the ground below (below).

Ng Bee Choo and Morten Strange did encounter a Brown-throated Sunbird destroying an Olive-backed Sunbird nest (Nectarinia jugularis) but not a white-eye’s. Morten believes that the Brown-throated Sunbird was stealing the nesting materials of the white-eyes.

Subaraj Rajathurai, who identified the sunbird as a female Brown-throated, added that his reasons were “…the more robust appearance combined with the pale area above and below the eye, the duller yellow below.”

Subaraj further added: “Oriental White-eyes were originally introduced and while they are constantly spreading and growing in numbers, the sunbird is the senior resident who is larger, stronger and more aggressive, thus able to help itself to whatever materials that are available nearby for her own nest-building.”

Johnny Wee, Subaraj Rajathurai, Ng Bee Choo & Morten Strange
Singapore
24th March 2016
(Images by Johnny Wee)

This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behavior through photography and videography to a wider audience.