“In mid-January 2018, it was an absolute delight to document the nest-hole excavation by a dedicated pair of Laced Woodpeckers (Picus vittatus) see LINK. And so in early February, I returned to the same site with eager anticipation and the prospect of monitoring the progress of their breeding attempt.
“But to my utter dismay and disbelief, I was greeted with the sight of Red-breasted Parakeets (Psittacula alexandri) instead (above)!
“The favourite resting perch of the meek male Woodpecker was now usurped by a proud parakeet (above)! And another was rudely poking its posterior out of the nest-hole below (below)!
“Video clips of these bold and brash parakeets inspecting the nest-hole and occupying the perch may be previewed below:
“It’s such a pity that after all the time and effort that the industrious woodpeckers had invested into carving out their potential breeding cavity, this nest-hole had been brazenly taken over by another bird species. A pertinent reminder of the sometimes unpredictable and often under-studied inter-specific interactions that can occur within small habitats.”
Dr. Leong Tzi Ming
Singapore
14th December 2019
