I saw this female Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata wrayi) feeding on the nectar of a buttonbush. This flowering plant is in the family Rubiaceae but does not fit the local Nauclea orientalis (leaves, flower colours all not right). The much better fit would be Cephalanthus occidentalis but this is a native to eastern and southern North America. It is still possible, as we have many introduced plants in the country. Using “Gardner, Sidisunthorn, Chayamarit. 2018. Forest Trees of Southern Thailand, Volume 3” there a number of Rubiaceae plans in the Neonauclea genus that are also a possibility. However although appearing as part of a tree, it is actually a creeper (see hooks), often high in a foliage of a tree (have seen this plant a number of times).
Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Location: 1,700m ASL, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
Habitat: Primary montane forest
Date: 4th March 2019
Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone