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Asian Glossy Starling caught a snail

on 26th May 2015

Chan Yoke Meng is among a small group of bird photographers and birdwatchers (who use cameras to document birds), to pay attention to the common species of birds. As long as a bird is doing something, he will keep an eye on it in the hope of documenting some behavior or other. He is the opposite of the “twitching” genre who are only interested in stationary, uncommon birds to capture near-perfect images or to add a tick to his/her checklist.

Meng’s latest image (above) shows the common Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) that caught a garden snail. The starling was bashing the snail against the side of a tombstone to smash its shell. Once the shell was out of the way, the starling gobbled up the meaty flesh.

The last time we posted a starling eating a snail was about ten years ago Link, again, proof that common birds are generally ignored.

We have posted many accounts of birds eating snail. Although snails are protected by the shell, those birds that have found a way to break the shell are rewarded with the fleshy meat inside – see review HERE.

Chan Yoke Meng
Singapore
May 2015

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.

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