Search

Red-headed Trogon feeding stick insect to chick

on 21st April 2010

Hong & Cheng a.k.a. catspace were in Thailand around March 2010 and documented a family of Red-headed Trogon (Harpactes erythrocephalus) around their nest.

An adult male brought a biggish stick insect to the nest, a large cavity on the side of a dead and rotting tree (above left). The chick grabbed the insect and managed to swallow it whole (above right). That afternoon the chick fledged.

The male of the Red-headed Trogon is the only trogon with a red head and breast. In the female, the head is olive-brown (left).

And as reported in Forshaw (2009), insects and their larvae feature prominently in its diet. And these include stick insects, cicadas, flies, beetles, woodlice and moths. Other invertebrates include millipedes and centipedes. The trogon also takes leaves and fruits.

Reference:
Forshaw, J. M., 2009. Trogons – A natural history of the Trogonidae. Lynx Editions, Barcelona. 292 pp.

Images by Hong & Cheng.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

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
776
6096
Visitors Today
51745097
Total
Visitors

Clustrmaps (since 2016)