Foraging behaviour of mynas
I was at the Singapore Botanic Gardens a few days ago and was fascinated to see four Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) (left top) and a single Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) cooperating in a foraging exercise. They were in a single … Continued
Oriental White-eye: Waste disposal
The chicks of most passerines enclose their wastes within a flexible bag known as a faecal sac. The parent birds meticulously remove these sacs and dispose them some distance away from the nest. These sacs help keep the nest sanitary … Continued
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo came for a visit
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo (Clamator coromandus) breeds in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, S China, Indochina to SW Thailand. It winters south in parts of Asia and Southeast Asia. So we get to see the bird as an uncommon winter visitor and … Continued
Yellow-vented Bulbul nesting in an artificial plant
Lena Chow’s garden and garage have been favourite nesting areas for Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) since 2004. After each successful nesting, the birds returned the following year without fail. They seem to favour potted plants, especially bomboos and money plants … Continued
Olive-backed Sunbird : A miscalculated nesting
I was alerted to the nesting of a pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis, formerly Nectarinia jugularis) by KC Tsang in April 2006. The nest was attached to a frond of a palm by a well-trodden path in a popular … Continued
Black-shouldered Kites at play
Like most raptors, Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) loves to put on an aerial display (left). It soars on thermals, sailing along in circles with its long and pointed wings held at a distinct V-angle and the feathers of the short, … Continued
Portrait of a Black Baza
The Black Baza (Aviceda leuphotes) is a relatively common winter visitor. The opportunity to examine it closely came when an injured bird was picked up by Alex Koh and nursed back to health to be subsequently released (left). This is … Continued
Koel and rain
Cuckoos in folklore are known as weatherbirds. And in most continents they are known as “rainbirds” or ‘stormbirds” because they call incessantly early in the rainy season. Koels, being cuckoos, are similarly known as rain- or stormbirds. The call of … Continued
Black Baza rescue
On 24th March 2007 Alex Koh had an exciting encounter around the block where he lived in Serangoon. He was walking when he saw something fell with a loud thud on the tarmac floor near him. It was a bird. … Continued
Courtship behaviour of Olive-backed Sunbird
I was in the garden a few mornings ago when suddenly there was a series of loud chatters coming from next door. A pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis, formerly Nectarinia jugularis) that had just landed in the bougainvillea bush … Continued
