White-bellied Erpornis zantholeuca Regurgitating a Pellet

Pellet casting is well known among raptors and owls. However, many other birds also cast pellets including kingfishers, herons, shrikes, shorebirds, bee-eaters, some songbirds, etc.  Birds are possibly not frequently observed casting pellets as it may take 6-10 hours to form; hence the pellet may be expelled late in the day or in the early morning. 

I previously reported an Asian Brown Flycatcher regurgitating a pellet (Amar-Singh HSS 2017) early in the morning. On this occasion, 7th April 2023, at the Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, I observed a White-bellied Erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca) casting a pellet.

I was watching a lowlands bird wave (mixed foraging party) that included:

Two Blue-winged Leafbirds (Chloropsis cochinchinensis), often the leaders of the event; 3-4 Eastern Crowned Warblers (Phylloscopus coronatus), 2-3 Grey-headed Canary-Flycatchers (Culicicapa ceylonensis), and others not identified.

 One White-bellied Erpornis stopped and appeared to ‘choke’. It then regurgitated and ejected a pellet. A composite of images showing the action attached.

Reference

Amar-Singh HSS (2017). Asian Brown Flycatcher regurgitating a pellet. Bird Ecology Study Group. https://besgroup.org/2017/10/29/asian-brown-flycatcher-regurgitating-a-pellet/

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS

Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

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