The cat and the Cinnamon Bittern
Seiko Okajima reported an early morning intruder to her house at Opera Estate in February 2006 thus: “My cat brought in this bird to my house early this morning around 1:00am of Feb 3, 2006. This young bird was not … Continued
Oriental Pied Hornbills in urban Singapore
Once upon a time, there were three species of hornbills present in Singapore. However, due to rapid development and large-scale deforestation, all three species became extinct in the late 19th century. One species, the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris convexus), … Continued
Pink-necked Green Pigeons 4: The birds have flown the nest
The following information comes from observations conducted in February 2005 on a nesting pair of Pink-necked Green Pigeons (Treron vernans) in my garden (see 1 and 2). It is reported here to provide conclusion to the series. Egg incubation took … Continued
In and out of the Yellow-vented Bulbul’s nest
On 10th February 2006, five days before the writing of this entry, my parents noticed movements in our small chiku tree (Manilkara zapota). This tree is no more than 2 metres tall and is right next to the fence that … Continued
How sunbirds harvest nectar from flowers
Sunbirds are among the most attractive birds around, especially the males. The females on the other hand are rather drab. The food of sunbirds is largely nectar, taken off a wide range of flowers, both native and exotic. In the … Continued
Mistletoes 5: Germination of Macrosolen cochinchinensis
A Macrosolen cochinchinensis seed, when deposited on to the branch of a host plant by a bird, germinates by growing a green stalk with a disc-like tip. This stalk elongates, arching back to send its disc-like tip fusing into the … Continued
Ground foraging by a Malkoha
On February 7th 2006, as we were conducting a recce trip at Sarimbun, Robert Teo, Robin and I came across a party of three Chestnut-bellied Malkohas (Phaenicophaeus sumatranus) in the secondary forest. The encounter was surprising enough as there are … Continued
The noni tree
I have a pair of slender-stemmed mengkudu (Morinda cirtifolia) growing by my gate along the driveway. The plant grows wild throughout Southeast Asia, having been introduced from Queensland, Australia a very long time ago. Now the Malay name is not … Continued
Why do parrots use their left feet to handle food? 040306
The Family Psittacidae incorporates the parrots, to which the parakeets also belong. These birds are characterized, in many cases, by their colourful plumage, prominent curved beak and short legs. They have zygodactylous feet in that of the four toes, digits … Continued
Forensic Birding 2: Bird scats
After forensic birding was first introduced to local birders in December 2005, a workshop subsequently conducted by “sometime” field ornithologist Wang Luan Keng (above, right) exposed us to its practical side. In addition to feathers, skeleton parts, eggs, etc., we … Continued
