What happened to the Yellow-vented Bulbuls’ chick?
Posted by admin on 30 July 05, Saturday
Contributed by YC
Last month a pair of Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) built their nest among the branches of a Dracaena tree by my bedroom window. The convenience of the location led me to keep watch on the activities of the birds every day for the next few weeks. I set up my camera by the window. The curtains helped to shade me from being noticed by the birds. But the birds knew I was around. Every time I looked into the camera, the bird in the nest would face me, beak wide open.
It was an exciting period as I watched them incubating the egg (only one was laid) and looking after the chick.
During incubation, the birds did not sit in the nest continuously. Both parents visited the nest regularly. Each took turns to sit on the egg for about 10 to 15 minutes before flying off. This went on throughout the day. Only towards dusk would one of the birds stay in the nest, to remain there throughout the night. By dawn the duty bird left the nest but one or the other would return for short periods throughout the day. Unfortunately the sexes look alike so I could not distinguish between them.
One morning, 10 days after I spotted the nest, the egg hatched. The day-old blind chick was totally devoid of feathers. It remained flat on the bottom of the nest. There was no sign of the eggshell in the nest or on the ground around. The bird must have dumped it some distance away.
Throughout the day both parents flew in and out of the nest bringing food to feed the newly hatched chick. The chick responded to the parents’ presence by opening its beak wide. After the food was transferred to the chick, the parent bird settled down in the nest, to fly off after a short while. Every 10 to 15 minutes one or the other bird flew in to feed the hungry chick. By the third day the chick was fed solid food of various insects and invertebrates. If the piece of food were too big for the chick to swallow, the parent bird would pull it out of the chick’s throat and try breaking it into smaller pieces.
The parent birds were seen to constantly peck into the nest, probably removing bits and pieces of food not eaten by the chick. Or was it pecking at the ants in the nest? It was also possible that the bird were eating the excretion of the chick as, according to the literature, this contains undigested food.
One day, I was immediately below the nest when the parent bird noticed my presence. It suddenly took off and landed on the ground some distance away. It pretended to be hurt, flapping it wings to exaggerate its supposedly wounded condition. Naturally when I approached it, the bird moved further away, to subsequently fly off.
The birds were in shock that morning, flying in and looking puzzled. They took turns returning to the nest, looking around with their beaks wide open and even sitting in the nest for short periods before flying off. This they did for some time before the truth must have dawned on them that the chick was really gone and would not appear ever again. Then they finally left the scene.
Categories: Nesting-failed
Comment by WLK
Made Sunday, 31 of July , 2005 at 3:48 pm
It is well known that tropical birds suffer more than 60%, sometimes even more mortality rates due mainly to predation. It is most likely that the bulbul chick could be taken at night by a cat or a rat or even a snake. Perhaps it might be worth the while to put up a video for the night, if the bird nest just outside your window again.
Although the nest has failed, it is important that the information is still logged in the database so that we can eventually calculate the percentage nest failure in Singapore.
Comment by YC
Made Sunday, 31 of July , 2005 at 5:48 pm
That’s a good idea, setting up a video. I will have to convince myself that it is worth the trouble to learn how to use the video. Thanks, wlk for the suggestion.
Comment by Jeremy747
Made Tuesday, 29 of November , 2005 at 11:30 pm
In the late 70’s when my father just bought the house in Seletar Hills Est, the small garden in the terrace house came with a 3m tall juniper (i think so. I am only a half baked botanist) tree. The apex of the tree was the favourite perch for the noisy morning wake up call of the yellow vented bulbul. A pair eventually decided to nest there and it became my primary past time for a few weeks after school.
Curious and definitely not contented to let nature take its course. I climbed up and stared point blank at the incubating bird in the nest. Although they fled the nest every time i took a peek. They continued to tend to the eggs.
The chicks finally hatched and I took them out to play with them almost every day and put them back. That was when i first fake injury performance by one of the parents. Facinated, as a 5 year old kid then, of observing this behaviour in person instead of from the TV screen. I continued to torment the parents to see how far they would carry out the performance.
I also noticed that the chicks were also not shy of taking excursions away from the nest even at a young age. I would sometimes find them perched on a branch some distance away from the nest.
In the end, I think my intrusion of privacy was too much for the parents. They built a new nest in the property across the road. And they relocated the two chicks across. How they did it, i really don’t know. If the chicks were to do it on foot. It would be two deep drains and several stray cats’ journey just to make the 20m trip across. But i am inclined to believe thet the parents carried them across. But I no proof of such a possibility. 5 year old kids aren’t so complicated.
Comment by Anonymous
Made Friday, 30 of June , 2006 at 9:41 am
Hi!I’m an accidental Malaysian birder. Like you, I had the great pleasure of watching a bulbul build its nest right in my sheltered patio, which is not at all and ideal place for a nest. If you are keen, I posted the photo-essay at www.blog.thestar.com.my. Key in “a small miracle” in the contents box. I am glad I found a few morsels of info from your write-up that enlightened me. Like you, I too have many unanswered questions about the babies.
Teresa
Pingback by Bird Ecology Study Group » Collared Kingfisher: Protective instinct
Made Wednesday, 26 of September , 2007 at 8:45 pm
[…] best to distract potential predators from their nests, usually by feigning injury as seen with the Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) and Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus). The Oriental Magpie Robin […]
