“The oil palm (Elaeia guineensis) fruit is a well-known food for parakeets LINK. Unknown to many, it is also food for the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) (above).
“Early one morning, on 2nd March 2013 to be exact, I saw a male Oriental Pied Hornbill flying onto the frond of an oil palm tree. The hornbill was obscured from view as it slid behind the the fronds to reach for the fruits. Viewing through gaps between the fronds, I realised that... Read More
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The Birds of Singapore – an online book
In May 1943, GC Madoc published “An Introduction to Malayan Birds.” He wrote his manuscript in Singapore’s Changi Prison where he was interned when the country fell into the...
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Videocam: A powerful tool for studying birds
1. Collecting birds: In the 19th century the equipment needed to study birds was the gun. Another skill necessary was a good stuffing technique in order to preserve the specimens....
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Documenting bird calls and songs
Many local birdwatchers are able to recognise the birds behind the songs. However, interest in most cases ends there except for a few who make basic recordings. Erik Mobrand...
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Should attempts be made to tame wild birds?
The first part of the series by aviculturist Lee Chiu San deals with whether birds can be tamed and whether they will remain tamed. The second part looks at whether it is...
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Postings your observations and images
Why should you post your observations and images? Southeast Asian birds are poorly studied in terms of behaviour and ecology. By posting your observations (and this include...
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Nature Society: The struggle for Singapore’s nature areas
The above paper has just been published. Nature in Singapore is a peer-reviewed, online journal that publishes articles on the flora and fauna (e.g., biology, botany, zoology,...
Oriental Pied Hornbill – Courtship Feeding on Oil Palm fruits
“The oil palm (Elaeia guineensis) fruit is a well-known food for parakeets LINK. Unknown to many, it is also food for the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) (above).
“Early one morning, on 2nd March 2013 to be exact, I saw a male Oriental Pied Hornbill flying onto the frond of an oil palm tree. The hornbill was obscured from view as it slid behind the the fronds to reach for the fruits. Viewing through gaps between the fronds, I realised that... Read More
Mating display and call of the Crimson Sunbird
“The above video clip shows the mating display and call of a male Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja). He was trying to attract a female on a branch below him :
“The sunbird’s back feathers are fluffed out showing yellow down feathers not normally seen. The mating song was a continuous sweet shrill twittering that went on for at least 2 minutes. Too bad about the noise from the nearby construction site drowning out the mating song, know of anyone who can... Read More
White-throated Kingfisher: Sunning or courtship?
This is a lively exchange between Sun Chong Hong and Daisy O’Neill on the former’s account of a pair of White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) the was videoed on a TV antenna:
30th March 2012, Sun Chong Hong: “There were several days in November last year when I kept hearing the alert/territorial calls of the White-throated Kingfisher, daylong except during the hotter period of the day. The puzzle was answered when I saw a pair of juvenile White-throated... Read More
ORIENTAL PIED HORNBILLS – AFFECTIONATE BEHAVIOUR
“While observing a boisterous flock of Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) feeding on figs beside a beach in Langkawi in October 2012, I noticed a secluded pair perched quietly on another fig tree not too far away (above: male above, female below). This pair had clearly decided not to engage in the fig feeding frenzy, but spend some quality time together instead.
“When the female tossed her head back and exposed her neck feathers, the male... Read More
Courting behaviour of the Whiskered Treeswift
“I had noticed one of a pair of the Whiskered Treeswifts (Hemiprocne comata comate) was quite vocal when I entered this part of the forest reserve. But had not taken notice until I emerged later from a long walk much later. I then realised that courting was going on.
“The above image is a composite of an adult male that flew in to where the adult female was perched to ‘woo’ her with some preening activities. Suddenly he was alerted to the presence of... Read More
Breeding display of the Yellow Bittern
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS was at the wetland-paddy field area in south Perak, Malaysia on 11th April 2012 when he encountered an adult male Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) in full breeding plumage (above). There were two female bitterns in attendance (left, showing one of the two females).
“He positioned himself at the top of the reeds (two females about 3-5 meters away) and I then observed a number of crest-raising displays,” wrote Amar (below).... Read More
Black-shouldered Kites – aerial acrobatics
“Again one of these precious birding moments. I arrived at a water reservoir not far from my village and saw two adult Black-shouldered Kites (Elanus caeruleus), also called Black-winged Kites, fly together, quietly, not chasing.
“They moved on to the other side of the water and suddenly one descended, hovered and started to ‘attack’ the other. In talks with an expert [Dr Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua, Kasetsart University, Bangkok] it seemed to be a... Read More
Spotted Doves’ moment of intimacy
Ong Ei Leen noticed that “Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis) often show their affections ‘publicly’. Other than their usual copulating performances, I took a few shots of their ‘kissing’ and ‘necking’ tryst recently.”
Check out the images HERE and the video HERE where the activities are more... Read More
Courtship of Spotted Doves and an intruding Javan Myna
“The Javan Mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) are such aggressive creatures. They fight among themselves frequently, and even harass the much bigger Clouded Monitor.
“I have a video record of a Javan Myna breaking up a pair of Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) engaging in what looked like a courtship session (above). The former was seen at the beginning of the video nearby at the top right corner of the screen when it got attracted to the... Read More
© Courtship Feeding Behavior of Gold-Whiskered Barbet Pair
“Different barbet species have been known to each have their own peculiar way of courtship feeding. While breeding male Coppersmith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) have been observed to demand a condition of sex first before offering their gifts, I chanced an opportunity of a fig foraging, perhaps inexperienced male Gold-whiskered Barbet (M. chrysopogon) learning the ropes of wooing a female the hard way.
“Here is a routine shot of a male with a ripe fig... Read More
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