Search

Brown-throated Sunbird: Male and female vocalisation

on 10th July 2011

“Two sunbirds, a male and a female had been appearing regularly in the trumpet tree (Tabebuia rosea) outside one of my bedrooms about 3 months ago around noon time. I only realised that they were Brown-throated Sunbirds (Anthreptes malacensis) after I read the comments posted by Ruici on 29 Apr regarding ‘wrestling sunbirds’ seen at Sungei Buloh, mentioning that Brown-throated females have red eyes.

“The male would make its presence known by singing loudly (sounding like territorial call to me) non-stop for a couple of minutes, pausing frequently to stick out its tongue and wipe it against the bill. As for the female, it would sing softly and intermittently. It also stuck out the tongue frequently just like the behaviour of the male.

“Two short videos of the male and female Brown-throated Sunbirds can be viewed here:”

Sun Chong Hong
Singapore
30th June 2011

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
622
8429
Visitors Today
51620384
Total
Visitors

Clustrmaps (since 2016)