Common Iora eating praying mantis and caterpillar

Posted by BESG on 8 June 08, Sunday
Contributed by Dr. Redzlan Abdul Rahman

The Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) is a yellow-green bird with two white wing bars. It is a common resident of parks, gardens, mangroves and open country.

It hunts for insects and other arthropods high up in the canopy of trees. Prey items include mantids, ants, bees, caterpillars as well as an occasional butterfly/moth. It has also been recorded to take spiders.

Dr. Redzlan Abdul Rahman documented the bird catching a praying mantis and bashing it against the branch where it was perching before swallowing (above).

He has also documented the bird with a caterpillar clamped in its bill, swiping it on its perch a few times before swallowing (above). The caterpillar is hairy and apparently the bird swallowed it hair and all. The swiping was to remove the stomach content.

All images were photographed from his backyard in Raub, Pahang, Malaysia.

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Categories: Feeding-invertebrates

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