The ubiquitous Javan Myna
The Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus), formerly known as White-vented Myna, was brought into Singapore around 1920. Since then it has become very successful, especially in urban areas. The aggressive nature of this introduced myna has successfully displaced the once common … Continued
Pink-necked Green Pigeons 3 – Sharing of duties
In Pink-necked Green Pigeons both parent birds help in egg incubation and care of the nestlings. The male takes on the day shift, arriving at the nest at around 8 am. He stays in the nest all day, never leaving … Continued
Richard’s “Owler” – The mobbing of a Spotted Wood-owl
Years ago when I was living at a house in Swiss Club Road whose garden abutted the then Turf Club’s outer car park, there was a pair of Spotted Wood-owls (Strix seloputo) living in some old trees just inside and … Continued
Alcoholism in Birds, etc
Following Richard Hale’s contribution on Drunken Javan Mynas, I have managed to source out instances of other drunken birds as well as mammals and even insects. It would appear that humans are not the only species that is addicted to … Continued
How many years do sunbirds live? 261105
Sunbirds are small, hyper-active and highly colourful in the males but not the females. There are six species in Singapore, of which four can be regularly seen in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve: Brown-throated (Anthreptes malacensis), Copper-throated (Nectariana calcostetha), Olive-backed … Continued
Mobbing of a Barn Owl
This incident occurred about noon some two to three years ago around an old longan tree (Dimocarpus longan). The tree was planted from seed 37 years ago and at that time the branches had been pruned and new shoots were … Continued
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow in Urban Singapore
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) we commonly see around is actually adapted to human habitation. It usually nests in any convenient holes in buildings. Then why is it called a tree sparrow? The colonial Britisher who named it was … Continued
A Spotted Wood-owl in Chinatown!
It was about 11 pm on the night of Wednesday 9th November. Timothy and myself were walking to our cars after a wonderful Taiwan porridge dinner. Suddenly a bigger than usual thing flew into a tree at the corner green, … Continued
Drunken Javan Mynas!
Many years ago now, I lived in a house with a large garden. Next to the house was an old Madras Thorn (Pithecellobium dulce) tree which spread its branches to within a few feet of the walls. This tree flowered … Continued
Grey Heron foraging at night in Bedok canal?
I was walking along Bedok canal at 11 pm one night when I spotted what looked like a large heron hunting in it. Couldn’t have been my eyes playing tricks on me because there was a Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax … Continued
