31 Oct 2007

Sleeping Banded Pitta

by | posted in: Roosting | 4

img711p50.jpg

Dr Chua Ee Kiam has generously agreed to share his image of a sleeping Banded Pitta (Pitta guajana) that he encountered in Danum Valley in Sabah, Malaysia recently (left).

Dr Chua recounts: “A Banded Pitta was peacefully asleep with its head beneath its wing. It was perched on a small branch at chest level perhaps to avoid snakes and other animals whose presence may cause the branch to move or vibrate. I have not seen such brilliant colours and never at such close-up. And it was so tempting to capture such an exquisite bird. The bird was left to continue its slumber.“

We first posted “What does a tailorbird do at night” in August 2007 showcasing a Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) sleeping in Taman Negara, Malaysia. Since then we have received images of Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) and Common Tailorbird as well as a Chestnut-naped Forktail (Enicurus ruficapillus).

Much as we do not encourage people to disturb sleeping birds, we do need to document them for scientific purposes. Photographers are urged to restrain from disturbing the sleeping birds excessively when photographing them.

Dr Chua Ee Kiam
Singapore
September 2007

Note: Thanks to Ashley Ng and Daisy O’Neill, see responses below, we have the proper identification of the pitta and made the relevant corrections. The bird was wrongly stated as Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis). The title of this piece has similarly been changed.

29 Oct 2007

Coppersmith Barbet chicks with a steely spirit

by | posted in: Barbet-To'can-H'guide, Feeding chicks | 2

111172.jpg

“In 2001 we noticed a pair of Coppersmith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) excavating a nest hole in a dead branch of a Flame of Forest tree (Delonix regia) in our work place. For two consecutive seasons we watched them feed (right) and successfully raised a pair of chicks each time.

“In 2003 the pair returned to use the same nest hole. On 25 March 2003, after a heavy rainstorm the previous evening, we found the host branch on the ground and, on scanning the area, one small and wet shivering chick was located. When we went back later to the site we found the second chick. Their frail condition and small size left us wondering whether they would make it. The weights of the chicks were measured (refer table below).

11125.jpg

11118.jpg

“We put a towel in a cardboard box and placed the chicks inside (left top). Never having raised any barbet chicks before, we initially fed them with ripe berries from the Indian Cherry tree (Muntingia calabura) by holding the chicks in our hands and slightly squeezing the pulp and juice into their bills (left bottom). After initial hesitation on the first day, both chicks ate better. As the chicks needed constant care and feeding, they were kept in the office during working hours taken home at night either by the author or Phang Chee Mun.

“By the fourth day in our care, more feathers had grown. We continued with the diet of berries but found that, though the chicks were eating well, they had lost weight. A friend who keeps Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis) recommended that we try dog food pellets as these were a good source of protein. We immediately started the chicks on a diet of dog food pellet (first soaked in water till soft and fed in small pieces), papayas and bananas. Colleagues who went out for lunch contributed part of their fruits to the chicks. It was noticed that the chicks would always flick away any excess water before swallowing the pellets. The chicks were very demanding and every half to three-quarters of an hour would call out loudly for food.

11119.jpg

“On 3 April 2003, the chicks had put on weight again and by 7 April the chicks were learning to pick up food themselves. The chicks were kept in an open box and we made mini stands for them to perch on (right top). At home in the evenings the chicks were placed on a tree in the garden (right bottom). Both chicks had different characters, the bigger chick being dominant and always bullying the smaller one. On 8 April, the chicks started to explore away from their cozy box and on 9 April, when placed on a tree, they started to jump around the branches.

“On 10 April, the chicks started to exercise their wings and on 11 April, the bigger chick was able to fly a distance of about one metre while the smaller chick only managed about 0.3 m.

“On 13 April, the bigger chick stopped eating the dog food pellet and was only eating papaya while the smaller chick continued taking both pellet and papaya. On the evening of 14 April, the bigger chick refused to come down from the tree in my garden and then flew off across the road towards the larger trees opposite my house. The smaller chick tried to follow but could only reach some shrubs in my neighbour’s garden.

“The next morning I heard both chicks calling. The bigger chick was on a tall tree opposite my house, calling and encouraging the smaller chick which was still in my neighbour’s garden to join it. Before leaving for work I retrieved the smaller chick, placed it in the tree in my garden and left some papaya for it. In the evening when I came home the smaller chick was still in the same tree while the bigger chick was perched high up in another tree in my garden. Later, the smaller chick flew strongly and joined the bigger chick on a tree opposite my house. Both roosted there that night.

“The next day, 16 April and thereafter, the chicks would return back to the tree in my garden every morning and evening to eat the papaya which I would leave out for them. The free fruit attracted the attention of other birds too and after 30 April, the chicks stopped returning to the fruit tray. Though no more dependent on the hand-outs, the chicks learned to survive on their own and continued to be seen together daily for another few more weeks and had probably learned to source for their own food.”

Images by Ooi Beng Yean and Phang Chee Mun.

The above was first published in Suara Enggang as: Chiu, S.C., Ooi, B.Y. and Phang C.M. 2007. Coppersmith Barbet Chicks With a Steely Spirit. Suara Enggang 15 (2):13-14.

27 Oct 2007

Cannas and nectar harvest

by | posted in: Feeding-plants, Sunbirds | 0

Cannas are popular border plants with large, showy flowers of red, yellow or yellow spotted with red. These plants are native to tropical America and have been cultivated in Singapore for decades. All these garden cannas are hybrids (below).

11111.jpg

The pollinators of canna in its native tropical America are bees, hummingbirds and bats. The local bird species are not adapted to these exotic flowers, so they have found shortcuts, or at least a few of them have, to tap on the nectar without helping to pollinate the flower in the process. This has happened in many exotic garden plants and wayside trees, one example posted recently is the African Tulip.

11116.jpg

In canna, Melinda Chan has recently sent an image showing a sunbird poking its bill into the base of the flower to get at the nectar (left). By doing so, the plant has obviously been cheated.

Wells (2007) reports the Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) and Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) robbing the flowers of the lily Canna indica of nectar by puncturing through the corolla base.

We encourage the documentation of such nectar harvesting in other exotic flowering plants. If anyone has any such observations or images, please share them.
.
.
Melinda Chan & YC Wee
Singapore
September 2007
(Top image by YC Wee, bottom by Melinda)

Reference:
Wells, D.R. (2007). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. II, Passerines. Christopher Helm, London.

26 Oct 2007

Asian Koel eating Indian cherry

by | posted in: Feeding-plants | 6

More than a year ago, KC Tsang sent in images of a male Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) eating the fruits of Indian cherry (Muntingia calabura) in his father-in-law’s garden (left). I did not pay much attention to them then as these fruits are sought after by many species of birds.

Then last year KC sent in an interesting account of the Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonestigma) manipulating these fruits. And this year we had a whole series of images by Chan Yoke Meng of the same species of flowerpecker squeezing the contents of the fruits by a slightly different method.

Rediscovering the koel’s images eating the fruits, I was fascinated by the fact that this biggish bird simply swallows the fruit whole. Having a wide gape, koels can also swallow the fruits of the Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae), to regurgitate the seeds in due course. There is no need to regurgitate seeds of the Indian cherry as they are small and numerous, easily passed through the gut to exit at the other end.

The Asian Koel is essentially a fruit eater. The different fruits taken include figs (Ficus spp.), papaya (Carica papaya), Morus, Zizyphus, Brazilian cherries (Eugenia uniflora), tamarind or assam (Tamarindus indica), Sterculia foetida, yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana) and fruits of mistletoes.

Palm fruits include fishtail palm (Caryota sp.), Chinese fan palm (Livistona chinensis) and oil palm (Elaies guineensis).

Also, flower nectar and flowers of blue pea (Clitoria ternatea).

The bird has also been reported to eat grasshoppers, caterpillars, snails and birds’ eggs.

KC Tsang & YC Wee
Singapore
September 2007

Reference:
Payne, R.B. (1997). Family Cuculidae (cucoos). Pp.508-607 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.

24 Oct 2007

Red-breasted Parakeet and African Tulip seeds

by | posted in: Feeding-plants, Plants | 1

11120.jpg

The Red-breasted Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri) has been documented by Mark Chua eating the seeds of the African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) (above). This is another example of an exotic bird eating fruits/seeds of an exotic plant. The earlier example is of the Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffini) eating the fruits of the starfruit tree (Averrhoa carambola) (1, 2).

In the case of both the exotic parrots, they have managed to exploit a food niche that has been neglected by other species (unless there is evidence that other species also feed on these fruits/seeds).

African tulip is a tree native to Tropical West Africa. It was once widely grown in Singapore but because it tends to shed its branches during tropical storms, it is no more seen along roads. However, many still exist in wastelands and areas off the beaten track.

In Hawaii, it is still grown as a wayside tree.

The orange-red flowers are large and attractive, found in erect branches around the periphery of the crown. Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis) and sunbirds also feed on the nectar but Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) collects the nectar in an unconventional way.

The fruits of African tulip are erect, woody flattened pods that burst open to release the many, flattened, winged seeds. The seeds are wind-dispersed and so do not depend on any animals to spread them. However, to discover that Red-breasted Parakeet eats the seeds is interesting. In the process of harvesting the seeds, the bird shake them up in the pod and thus help to disperse them into the air. There is also the possibility of one or a few of the eaten seeds passing through undamaged, thus dispersed some distance from the parent tree.

Tailorbirds have been known to collect the seeds to line their nests.

Mark Chua
Singapore
October 2007

22 Oct 2007

Sunbird and flowerpecker: Pollinating mistletoe flowers

by | posted in: Feeding-plants, Sunbirds | 3

bbb7.jpg

Dendrophthoe pentandra is a common mistletoe plant that is semi-parasitic on wayside trees (above left). The mistletoe is spread by flowerpeckers and sunbirds that eat the fruits and excrete the sticky seeds when perching on the branches of shrubs and trees. These seeds are excreted stuck together, as the gummy covering that originally covered the seeds remain intact when passing through the digestive tract.

Now what do these birds do? Some simply wipe their bottoms against the branch to dislodge the seeds. Others use their beak or foot to remove the seeds from the posterior opening. In the process, these sticky seeds end up on the surface of the

aaa31.jpg

branch where they slowly develop, sending a ‘sucker’ into the host’s tissues to tap water and nutrients. Green leaves develop so that the mistletoe can photosynthesise. It is thus partially parasitic on the host but it can do much damage in the long term.

In due course the mistletoe flowers (above right). These are so-called exploding flowers that need birds to trigger their opening. The images on the left show the Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) with its bill clamped on the flower bud. The pressure exerted on the bud will cause the flower to ‘explode’ and the petals to unfold. This allows the sunbird to insert its tongue into the flower to harvest the nectar.

An earlier post shows the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots (Loriculus galgulus) harvesting nectar from the other mistletoe, Macrosolen cochinchinensis. As the bill of the parrot is differently constructed from that of sunbirds and flowerpeckers, the parrot needs to get at the nectar from the side of the flower, with the help of its broader tongue.

The images below show a male (left) and a female (right) Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) among the Dendrophthoe pentandra mistletoe, obviously harvesting nectar. I am sure the birds need to use their bill to force the bud to open before they can get at the nectar, as with the sunbirds. However, I have yet to have photographic evidence.

In all three cases (sunbird, flowerpecker and parrot), the birds assist in the pollination of the mistletoe flowers, bribed by the offer of nectar.

aaa32.jpg

YC Wee
Singapore
October 2007

21 Oct 2007

Birds, bats and a tembusu sprig

by | posted in: Feeding-plants, Interspecific | 1

12.jpg

Early one morning I found a fresh sprig of tembusu (Fagraea fragrans) with ripe berries still attached, on the top of my car’s boot (left). The car was parked under the porch with the rear end jutting out near to where one of my ceram palms (Rhopaloblaste ceramica) grow.

The palms are a favourite perch for many species of birds and any one of the fruit eating birds could have dropped the tembusu sprig. But do birds normally pick a fruiting sprig, rather than picking the fruits individually?

2223.jpg

On the other hand the porch is a favourite roost of the Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) (right).

The question posed is, was it a bird or a bat that deposited the tembusu sprig on my car? The consensus among the few who are familiar with bats is that it was a bat that was responsible.

Here are the reasons for suggesting bat:

Bats normally bring fruits back to their feeding roost to eat, especially large fruits. With small fruits, the bat usually eat them on the spot. In the case of tembusu whose fruits are small, it is possible that they may be eaten around the tree. However, to collect a sprig with more than a few fruits back to eat saves time and energy.

And are there instances of birds breaking off a sprig of tembusu bearing a few berries to be eaten somewhere else? Have there been any observations of such behaviour?

Is there any evidence of bats breaking off small branches for whatever reasons? Here, I can confidently say that it does happen.

aaa62.jpg

My porch is a regular roosting site of these bats (above). At first a few came, leaving droppings on the ground below. Then one day a horde of them made themselves comfortable under the porch. And the mess thay left behind every morning could one day be mined for guano. So our helper chased them away. But a few still continue to come. And one or two roosted in the small Dracaena “Song of India” (Dracaena reflexa) tree, taking shelter under my porch whenever it rains (left top).

When these bats first started using the tree as a roost, I found a sprig of the dracaena on the ground below together with a number of fresh leaves (left bottom). Apparently the bats ripped them off the branch to clear a space to roost.

So bats do rip small branches off trees. And the tembusu sprig on my car most probably was left there by a bat.

We would love to hear from birders who have observed birds plucking sprigs bearing fruits to be eaten elsewhere. But then, do birders bother about bats?

YC Wee, Vilma D’Rozario, Yap Kim Fatt & Angie Ng
Singapore
October 2007
(Images by YC Wee)

19 Oct 2007

A time for reflection…

by | posted in: Reports | 0

It has been two years since the Bird Ecology Study Group was formally constituted. The group’s blog has all along been highlighting various aspects of bird behaviour. To date, there are more than 500 posts involving 27 broad categories from feeding to nesting to inter-specific interactions.

Thanks to the willingness of photographers, birders and the nature loving public at large to share observations and images, the blog has developed into what it is today.

Join us in this talk that will reflect on the past two years of bird behaviour observations, and contribute to how we can move forward – to bring birding to a higher plane.

11112.jpg

YC Wee
Singapore
October 2007

18 Oct 2007

Asian Koel: First recorded begging-call mimicry

by | posted in: Vocalisation | 3

On 7th October 2007, Erik Mobrand wrote: “For the past few weeks we have had two noisy koels outside our window regularly. What is striking is that these individuals (a female and a male, perhaps juvenile) do not make the typical koel call. Instead, they have this hoarse squawk, which we hear many times during the day – not just at dawn and dusk, when we usually hear koels.

“What is going on? Do young koels try to imitate the House Crows they grew up with? The call has the same rhythm as the House Crow’s. I’ve seen these koels fighting with House Crows.”

We received two snapshots (below) and a video clip the next day and a note: “…We see this koel almost daily now out the window of our fourth floor flat. She sat in this tree calling on and on for perhaps two hours yesterday afternoon. A male making a similar call has also come by, though less frequently.”

Click on the link to view the video clip provided by Erik to hear the strange call: koel-clip.wmv

1117.jpg

The bird in the images above is a female Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea). And Asian Koels have a repertoire of different calls – at least seven loud calls have been reported. The usual call we hear in the mornings and evenings is the ascending loud ko-el-ko-el-ko-el-ko-el-ko-el-ko-el that begins slowly but may become faster with time. Then there is also the loud, harsh kroik-kroik-kroik. These are made by males and usually answered by other males that are around.

Click on the link provided to hear these calls, recorded by Sutari Supari and digitally processed by Wang Luan Keng: asian_koel.mp3

Wells (1999) describes an even-toned woik-woik-woik-woik that is made mainly at dusk, from roosting perches. This call sounds like what Erik recorded in the video. However, therecorded call was made during the afternoon, not at dusk.

Flying fledglings give a loud and harsh kaaa, rather like a young crow, when begging for food from its foster parents, the crows. So far, there is no evidence that juvenile koels imitate crows.

Until now!

Through Wang Luan Keng, the images and video clip from Erik were forwarded to Prof R B Payne, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, the world’s foremost authority on cuckoos. Back came the reply:

“Thanks for sending the cuckoo video. The clip looks like a grown fledgling koel, plumae black with some whitish or buff bands on tail and wing, white spots on the back, and the call is like the begging call of crows.

“The call is like the calls of adult house crows as in the Birds of the Western Palearctic vol 8, 1994, p148, where the description says “food calls of older young a strangled ‘rekk-keck, reckkeck‘” which sounds about right, and the calls of the adults are similar too, in time (0.3-0.8 sec), pitch and frequency envelope (broadband, most sound at 1-2 kHz).

“Other crows in BWP do have words and figures of begging calls of young and the calls of adults – carrion crow has food-begging call of incubating female where the audiospectrogram looks a lot like your koel, and the word description sounds about the same too.

“Some other cuckoos have begging calls a lot like the begging calls of their foster species – African striped cuckoo Clamator levaillantii is the best known.

“I don’t know that a begging-call mimicry has been described for koels – for koels in Australia they say a hand-reared koel at nine weeks old was “a loud, varied, continual dialogue of sharp trills and squeaks akin to ‘wheeet-oop-weeet-wheet-wheeet-op” occasionally interspersed with high pitched screeches. The paper doesn’t show an audiospectrogram of this young bird. – Maller, C. J. and Jones, D. N. (2001) Vocal behaviour of the Common Koel, Eudynamys scolopacea, and implications for mating systems. Emu 101: 105-112.”

Erik Mobrand & Prof RB Payne
Singapore
October 2007
(Images and video by Erik Mobrand)

References:
1. Payne, R.B. (1997). Family Cuculidae (cucoos). Pp.508-607 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
2. Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London.

16 Oct 2007

Grey Heron fishing: The one that didn’t get away

by | posted in: Feeding-vertebrates, Heron-Egret-Bittern | 1

The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is found around waters, be they fresh, brackish or salt. You can usually see them near rivers, lakes, marshes, mudflats, mangroves and rice fields. The bird feeds mainly on fish, although it also takes aquatic insects, amphibians, reptiles, some birds and even small rodents.

Its feeding time varies with location, either during the day (morning and evening) or at night or around dusk. It is usually a solitary feeder, fiercely defending its territory, although there are cases of group feeding.

Lee Tiah Khee’s dramatic images show how one bird tried to catch a fish but failed in its initial attempt. Undeterred, it succeeded in its subsequent attempt.

1114.jpg

Like most herons, the Grey is a passive feeder, staying still for long periods or moving slowly in the water. The bird was spotted standing still in the shallow water waiting for prey. Apparently it spotted a fish approaching. When it was within range, the bird made a lightning attack, lunging its sharp bill into the wate (above). But it was not fast or accurate enough. The fish narrowly escaped by jumping out of the water (below).

2222.jpg

In a flash the bird had its head out of the water and spotted the fish swimming away. In a split second it lunged at it again and succeeded the second time (below).

aaa3.jpg

It seized the fish with its bill and picked it out of the water (above right). As it managed to catch it by the head, there was no need to reposition it before swallowing it whole (below).

1115.jpg

As in the case of kingfishers, owls and bee-eaters, the indigestible parts of the prey are eventually regurgitated in the form of pellets…

Lee Tiah Kheee
Singapore
October 2007

26 Responses

  1. kris
    | Reply

    I just found a young dollarbird in the garden.. It seems to have left the nest too early and cannot fly yet. How am i to keep and feed it for a few days untill it can fly.???

  3. Iwan
    | Reply

    We have a small pond in our garden surrounded by trees and steep bedrock. The other day we saw a heron flying over and attempting to land – I guess to try to eat our small stock of fish. We managed to frighten it away before it landed, and have since installed trip wires around the pond in order to dissuade the bird. The amount of shelter around the pond means that a heron would have to land practically vertically. Does anyone know whether these birds have the agility to hover and land in this way, or do they always need a “glidepath” in order to land successfully?

  4. Khng Eu Meng
    | Reply

    Today, at the former Bidadari Cemetery, there was a buzz about a sighting of a Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus jotaka). I heard some birders say this nightjar isn’t commonly seen in Singapore. After some hunting, we spotted it asleep on a tree branch, some 15 m above ground. This was rather interesting as my previous encounters with nightjars have been on either terra firma or on low branches.

    Is this perching so high up the tree normal or is it unusual? I have posted a photo of it on my Facebook Timeline: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151125012234135&set=a.108191464134.96538.617499134&type=1&theater

  5. Jess
    | Reply

    Bird Sanctuary At Former Bidadari Cementry

    1)Which is the best spot in Bidadari cemetery for bird watch?

    2)Where this bird usually resident at?

    3)What are some of the rare bird species that can be found at Bidadari?

    4)Where is the particular hot spot for the hornbills, eagles, kingfishers and some of the rare migratory bird?

    5)Which part of Bidadari are richest in it wildlife?

    6)Can you name me the 59 migratory bird species found?

  6. YC
    | Reply

    Why not search the website using the word ‘Bidadari’ to obtain the information you need. There should be sufficient info in past postings to satisfy you.

  7. Firdaus Razak
    | Reply

    Hai, I just want to ask did anybody had an experience bring bird from oversea via MasKargo? Did the bird will stress at high altitude?

  9. Chung Wah
    | Reply

    Hi, I am new to bird photography! Could anyone advise a good pair of binoculars to get for this hobby?

  11. Geam Liang
    | Reply

    I ‘acquired’ a female Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 5 days ago – was in a public place when the bird flew overhead hit the wall and dropped right in front of me dazed. I picked it up, it appeared unhurt but could not sustain it’s flight. I have since constructed a fairly large ‘cage’ for it, about 4ft x 2fx x 2ft and placed it there last night. I temporarily placed her in a normal bird cage until I had completed the build.
    From what I have read up, it’s a fruit, seed and insect feeder and also nectar, flower buds. It’s doing as well as it can on bananas, papaya, jack-fruit (didn’t touch the grape) and seeds (black and white sunflower and other smaller ones). It loves to bathe so I’ve gotten it a tray and from what I read it’s important to keep things clean as it easily succumbs to infection.
    Does anyone else have any useful experience and sharing on it’s upkeep? I suspect this bird is an escapee – as far as I can read up, it’s not common, if at all, found in Georgetown, Penang where I am. I’m also not optimistic that it can survive if I were to set it free – assuming it can sustain it’s flight and not go crashing down and if there were dogs/cats around that would be the end of it.
    I can attach some pictures but not sure how to do this…
    thanks.

  12. Lee Chiu San
    | Reply

    The blue-crowned hanging parrot, even though very closely related to the lovebirds, is a nectar feeder. You would raise it the way you raise a lorikeet – which is a messy process. And because you are mixing batches of food for just one little bird, whereas I used to do it for about half a dozen pigeon-sized lorikeets each morning, I don’t know how you are going to get the portions down to manageable sizes. Anyway, here goes, with my recipe for feeding big lories. You can adjust the proportions down accordingly for your little bird.

    The staple diet would be a couple of slices of soft fruit (papaya, apple, grapes, even though I am surprised that you said the bird would not eat any) and a mixture of cooked rice sweetened with nectar mix.

    How to make nectar mix? Go to a pharmacy and get a can of food for invalids or infants. I use Complan, but I am sure any good baby formula would do. I usually make up enough to fill a beer mug, but there is no way you need that amount for a day’s feeding. If in doubt, make the mixture thinner, not thicker. Birds cannot digest baby formula that is too thick. If it is too thin, they simply have to consume more to get the required amount of energy. Then to this mug, add half a teaspoonful of rose syrup. Also stir in about a cup of cooked rice, well mashed up.

    In the case of your bird, I suggest that you pour this lot into an ice-cube tray, freeze the mixture, and defrost one cube to feed it each day.

    Now, you said that this bird eats sunflower seeds. This is most unusual for a blue-crowned hanging parrot. Are you sure that this is actually the species you have? Could it be possible that you have actually got a pet lovebird that escaped? There are so many different artificially-created breeds of lovebirds in so many colours that you might have been mistaken.

    If you actually have a lovebird, feeding is much simpler. Just go to the nearest pet shop, buy a packet of budgerigar or cockatiel seed of a reputable international brand, and offer it to the bird. You can supplement this with a couple of slices of fruit each day, and that will be all. Plus of course fresh water and a piece of cuttlefish bone to nibble on.

  13. Lee Chiu San
    | Reply

    About nectar feeding birds. I forgot to add that feeding nectar is messy, and it goes rancid very quickly in our tropical weather. Feeding containers have to be removed and thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day. The birds also splatter the mixture and wipe their beaks on perches and the bars of the cage. All my lories and lorikeets used to be housed in outdoor aviaries which were hosed down daily.

    If Geam Liang does not think the bird will survive if released, I really hope that it is a case of mistaken identity, and that you have a lovebird, rather than a blue-crowned hanging parrot. In our part of the world, all available lovebirds are domestically bred, take to captivity readily, and are easy to feed with commercially available seed mixtures. Yes, and being domestic pets, they would not survive if released.

  14. Geam Liang
    | Reply

    Thank you Chiu San for your inputs. Thus far, bananas and papayas work well. I’m not sure why it did not take to grapes – will try again. Am I supposed to peel it? I didn’t the last time, basically skewered a couple of grapes to a satay stick and positioned it as I did for the sliced and skinned papaya and peeled bananas.
    I have yet to try rice and certainly not nectar but will try out your concoction – have half a mind to go to a pet shop to see if they carry nectar for birds. The ice-cube freeze method is a good one, will try that. I might be mistaken on the sunflower seeds… not touched but it did eat the much smaller roundish, mixed colored seeds. Will remove the sunflower seeds.
    I’m sure it’s a female blue crowned hanging parrot.. it sleeps like a bat every night.

  15. Lee Chiu San
    | Reply

    When feeding local birds which are unfamiliar with imported fruits such as grapes, it helps to split the fruits to expose the edible parts. As to your remark that the bird sleeps hanging upside down like a bat, yes, that is the way blue-crowned hanging parrots sleep.

  16. Geam Liang
    | Reply

    Thanks… I need to think like a bird – yup. She has probably not seen a grape much less know that it’s edible, unless the previous owner has fed her with grapes… even then… Today she’s done pretty well making the most of the banana and all of the papaya plus quite a bit of seeds. Will try the baby food + mashed rise + rose syrup.
    Will regular honey do instead of rose syrup?
    Thanks.

  17. Lee Chiu San
    | Reply

    About making nectar to feed birds. Most aviculturalists do not use honey for two reasons: 1. It is expensive and does not seem to give any added benefits. 2. Honey is made by bees, and the composition varies wildly. Some honeys are also known to cause fungal infection in birds.

    If you do not want to buy a huge bottle of rose syrup just for one tiny bird, there are cheaper alternatives. The first is plain table sugar, though most don’t seem to like it very much.

    What many birds will accept quite readily as a sweetener is condensed milk – the type with sugar that coffee shop owners use.

    Many, many birds have a sweet tooth (or should I say sweet beak?) Besides the usual suspects of lories, lorikeets, sunbirds and hummingbirds, for whom it is an essential part of the diet, nectar mixture is readily consumed by mynahs, leafbirds, fairy bluebirds, barbets, doves, parrots of all kinds, and a whole host of other species.

  18. Geam Liang
    | Reply

    I tried the condensed mild, placed in in a small bottle cap.. only the ants showed interest. Am I supposed to dilute it? I didn’t =( I took you advice and refrained from honey. Have yet to find Rose Syrup from the shelves of TESCO… will try to mix the baby food + mashed rise + rose syrup/sugar syrup this week…

  19. David Thackray
    | Reply

    Can anyone help me identify a bird I saw in Singapore last week. Size of a smakll dove or thrush. Dark metallic back. Grey breast with red throat, chest.

  21. Emily Koh
    | Reply

    Lately I bought a bird feeder which I fill with 4parts water n 1 part white sugar. Sunbirds come regularly to drink and they are really lovely to watch. May I know if it is bad for them to feed on this? Previously they would sometimes pierce and drink from my potted flowers

  22. Emily Koh
    | Reply

    Lately I bought a bird feeder which I fill with 4parts water n 1 part white sugar. Sunbirds come regularly to drink and they are really lovely to watch. May I know if it is bad for them to feed on this? Previously they would sometimes pierce and drink from my potted flowers.

  24. Mahadevi Bhuti
    | Reply

    One of best souce for the bird watcher’s enjoying knowledge about ornithology

  25. Martin Nyffeler (PhD)
    | Reply

    Dear Sir / Dear Madame,

    I am a Senior Lecturer in Zoology at a University in Switzerland and I urgently need to get in touch with photographer Chan Yoke Meng, who takes beautiful photographs of birds near Singapore. Would you please mail me the email address of this photographer!

    Thanks,
    Martin

  26. Wee Ming
    | Reply

    Hello Besgroup,

    Trust this email finds you well. We chance upon your photograph on your website and found the amazing image of the Laced Woodpecker and durians. We would like to explore the possibility of getting permission to use them for a new Bird Park in Singapore.

    Spacelogic is a company based in Singapore and we have been contracted by Mandai Park Development to carry out design and build works relating to the exhibition interpretive displays in this new Bird Park.

    Some background of the new Mandai Bird Park project; it will build upon the legacy of the Jurong Bird Park – https://www.wrs.com.sg/en/jurong-bird-park.html by retaining and building upon a world-reference bird collection and creating a place of colour and joy for all visitors. The new Bird Park will have a world-reference ornithological collection displayed in a highly immersive way with large walk-through habitats. To enhance visitors’ experience with storyline and narrative of the bird park, transition spaces are added to display exhibits that provide a varied type of fun, intuitive, interactive and educational experiences for all visitors. One of the habitats features the Laced Woodpecker on a flora panel It is in this flora panel that we are seeking your permission to feature the Laced Woodpecker. We are looking to use the first image on the link here.
    Link can be found here: https://besgroup.org/2012/06/28/laced-woodpecker-and-durians/

    We would like to ask if this is something that we can explore further and if yes, how can we go about with putting through a formal permission request. Thank you so much for considering our request and we look forward to hearing from you.

    Warmest Regards,
    Wee Ming
    SPACElogic Pte Ltd

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.