White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus amydrus) are ubiquitous in the East Malaysian cities of Borneo. In West Malaysia they were in the past confined to the coastal regions of Perak and Selangor; assumed to be birds that made a sea crossing from Sumatra (Wells 2007).
In recent years many of us have been seeing them further inland and even in Ipoh City (eBird and personal communication with colleagues). I saw a pair today at the city fringe hawking for insects from high tension electrical wires, which is a common observed behaviour.
The insects taken today were small, dislodged by nearby cattle feeding and appeared to be hymenopterans. More than 20 feeding episodes were observed in 30 minutes. These superb fliers seldom return to the same perch once a prey is obtained.
Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Location: Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: City fringe with secondary growth
Date: 19th November 2020
Equipment: Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone
2 Responses
Dear BESG/Dr Amar
I can confirm sightings of this woodswallow further south at Rawang, Selangor. Unfortunately my pictures are not of the highest quality, but clear diagnostic markings can be seen.
Thank you.
Appreciate the reply Ng.
We have begun to see more in the city.
Perhaps with time they will become like East Malaysia – a regular feature in the cities.
regards
Amar