Earlier this month, on 01 June 2024, at the Kledang Saiong Forest Eco Park, Ipoh, Perak, a number of us observed an odd cooperative bird social behaviour. A number of birds, ‘led by’ the Sooty Barbets were involved together in an agitated manner to search for a threat, possibly a snake in a tree. I have previously observed birds working together to deal with a perceived threat like an Owl, a Cuckoo or a tree-climbing mammal (Treeshrews that eat bird eggs).
On this occasion the birds were distressed, calling out, searching, posturing and moving from perch to perch in a clump of trees. Any one time there were 15-20 birds present. There was no antagonism between the birds and no feeding occurring. Birds were coming and going with many staying to ‘help’ in the search. We could not see the threat but suspect it was an arboreal tree snake. The activity lasted more than 30 minutes, and when I left, they were still at it.
The birds involved included (may have missed some species):
Sooty Barbet Caloramphus hayii 4-5
Black-eared Barbet Psilopogon duvaucelii 2
Gold-whiskered Barbet Psilopogon chrysopogon 2
Rufous-winged Philentoma Philentoma pyrhoptera 1
Buff-vented Bulbul Iole crypta 2
Scaly-breasted Bulbul Rubigula squamata 2
Spectacled Bulbul Rubigula erythropthalmos 2
Cream-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus simplex 2
Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus brunneus 2-4
Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier 2
Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker Prionochilus percussus 2
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum trigonostigma 1
Plain Sunbird Anthreptes simplex 1
Brown-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis 1
A selection of birds shown in the collage above.
