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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,...
The 2006 bird race: A note from R. Subaraj
Dear Friends,
I just took part in the Singapore bird race over the week-end with Martin Daniel and Leong Tzi Ming. Our team STRIX was driven around by Sham who played the role of a non-participating driver. This was my 21st year leading a team in this annual event. Personally, I enjoy doing this once a year as it is fun and challenging… it is like a keen runner looking forward to his annual marathon.
Over the years, the bird race has constantly changed it’s... Read More
A House Crow went fishing
Crows are omnivorous. This means that they eat anything and everything, from grain, fruits, flower nectar, insects, eggs and birdlings, small mammals and what have you. They are scavengers, thriving w(ere there are scraps of food available. That is why they are so successful around urban areas.
We have posted accounts of crows attacking and eating a rat and a bat. We also have an account of a White-bellied Sea Eagle (%sCem>Haliaeetus leucogaster) catching a rat swimming in... Read More
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker feeding
K.C. Tsang was out birding in early May 2006 when he had a chance encounter with a family of Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonestigma):
“It is very seldom that one is able to get a family picture of the Orange-bellied Flowerpecker all in one morning. The male, which has a very brilliant orange belly, was found attacking the fruit of the Indian cherry tree (Muntingia calabura) (left). He uses the lower mandible to pierce the partially ripe fruit. He only takes... Read More
Anting by an albino Javan Myna
We have earlier reported on anting by Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and also by Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots (Loriculus galgulus).
In May 2006 Angie Ng observed a Javan Myna anting at the carpark of the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG). However, the myna she saw was an albino juvenile (left top).
As Angie recounts: “I think it was a myna; it was with another normal myna. Saw them playing under one of the trees in the upper carpark... Read More
Landing a Brahminy Kite in the Andaman
Stephen Lau and his fishing buddies were in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands some four years ago. This is a great fishing safari destination and they were there to fish. But instead of the large sea water fish, they landed a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus). Stephen recounts the incident:
“There were three of us in a dingy and we were successfully catching fish using a technique called popping i.e. using our casting rod and a lure (a popper) which makes a popping sound when... Read More
Do birds have teeth?
Do birds have teeth? A few species may look as if they do. But these are actually tooth-like notches on their mandibles. And they are also not used to chew food. However, a developing chick inside the egg may have an egg-tooth, a sharp projection on its bill. But this is not a true tooth. As the chick inside the egg develops, the shell thins from the inner lining as calcium is absorbed. Even then the shell is still a substantial barrier between the hatchling and the outside... Read More
Hunting techniques of Great-billed Heron
The Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana) is one of the tallest bird seen in Singapore and as such will always be a talking point. However, it is a rare resident. Its appearance in Chek Jawa in the offshore island of Pulau Ubin and also in the Chinese Garden in Jurong recently has got birders and photographers excited. Foo Sai Khoon, an avid photographer, managed to capture a series of images of the heron successfully catching a fish.
Although reported to prefer mangroves,... Read More
An Oriental Pied Hornbill eating a bee
On 16th July 2006 at about 10 am, Yeo Seng Beng was pleasantly surprised to see three Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) around the Binjai Park area. The three birds, two adults and a smaller juvenile, were slowly moving together from tree to tree. Armed with his camera, he followed the birds. And apparently they allowed him to get close enough for him to notice a bee between the beak of one of the birds. As Seng Beng wrote: “From one of the photos, you... Read More
Saving a raptor’s nest of 50 years in a 100 year old Alstonia tree
The Changeable Hawk-Eagle (pale morph) (Spizaetus cirrhatus) is a protected wild life species under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972 of Peninsular Malaysia. Under this Act, no poaching, selling, pet-keeping, eating, killing or possessing of the bird dead or alive, including any body parts, is allowed. This includes taking or destroying nests or eggs. Flaunting the Act is punishable by law and liable to a penalty fine or term in jail or both. Frequent bird surveillance... Read More
Raid on the hornbill’s potential nesting cavity
For the months of February to May 2006 a pair of Great (Buceros bicronis) and Rhinoceros Hornbills (B. rhinoceros), both female, was regularly prospecting a potential nesting cavity in an old albizia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria) in Eng Neo. Whenever the birds were there the Great, acting in the role of a male, would fly to the cavity and deposit food, presumably figs, inside. This is typical hornbill courtship behaviour, to assure its partner that it would continue to... Read More
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