Search

Oriental Pied Hornbill sighted at Mt Emily 100908

on 10th September 2008

Title of the image…

30th August 2008, Matt Tay wrote:

“This morning, at around 9:15am, i saw a hornbill perched on a tree outside my second floor window in Sophia Road, right at the junction with Mount Sophia. I first noticed a relatively big dark bird with long tail feathers, and assumed that it was a male Koel, since they are quite a common sight around my area. However, as i looked closer i realized that it unmistakably was a hornbill, probably an Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris). I would never have expected to find such a bird right outside my window, especially given the location. The nearest large green areas are the Istana and the park at Mount Emily. Unfortunately, it must have sensed my excitement (I had gasped in surprise upon seeing it) and so leapt higher up in the tree and eventually flew away before I could get a picture of it. As such, I’m not sure whether this was an adult/juvenile, or male/female. Hope this is of interest.”

It is interesting to note that the hornbill is now sighted away from the rural and suburban areas of Singapore. Whether the birds have spread or the population has grown needs to be investigated further.

Our bird specialist R Subaraj says that this sighting “…may be part of the slowly spreading feral population of central Singapore or a fresh escapee.”

Note: The image by Emily Kang and Leck is not the bird sighted at Mt Emily.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories
Archives

Overall visits (since 2005)

Live visitors
709
16105
Visitors Today
51755106
Total
Visitors

Clustrmaps (since 2016)