Roger Moo a.k.a. Cactus400D caught sight of this adult female Silver-eared Mesia (Mesia argentauris) feeding its noisy fledgling and recorded a series of images he is sharing with viewers here.

This is a colourful bird in its black cap, silvery white ear-patch, orange yellow forehead and underparts and red wing-patch. Although colourful, it is only conspicuous when around the forest edge. Once inside the forest, it totally disappears among the canopy, except from its song.

The nest and eggs have been described but incubation and fledging periods are unknown. Up to three eggs are laid and all three chicks have been known to fledge. The bird is known to be a general feeder, taking fruits, insects and their larvae, including ants.

This babbler is a common resident in Malaysia, not seen in Singapore.

All images by Roger Moo.

This post is a cooperative effort between www.naturepixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

The image above (left) shows the immature Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) fitted with wing tag and satellite telemetry released on 10th May 2007 at Doi Lang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was photographed by Kanit Khanikul and made available to us through the good office of Dr Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua of Kasetsart University, Thailand.

Also released at the same time were four Himalayan Griffons (Gyps himalayensis).

It has since been reported by Dr Chaiyan, who oversaw the release, that the vulture was shot by a villager in Mynamar on July 2007.

The map above showing where vulture was released and where it was shot was provided by Allan Teo.

Joseph Lai came across a Tabernaemontana corymbosa tree at the end of Liane Road along the Garden Jungle in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

“It was fascinating observing how the Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) hovered in the air like a hummingbird to snatch a seed or two from below the down-turned opening of the fruit. I also saw the less tedious way it fed - by positioning itself on the nearest twig to peck at the seeds.”

All images by Joseph Lai.

Most birders are familiar with the green plumage of the Red-bearded Bee-eater (Nyctyornis amictus) - and of course the distinctive shaggy red beard characteristic of the species.

But how many are aware that hidden under the external green feathers are black feathers?

Roger Moo a.k.a. cactus400D photographed a Red-bearded Bee-eater when it was fluffing its plumage and noticed that the inner feathers are black. He wonders:

“We all thought the feather are all green till he flutters his wings and feathers… underneath are all black. Here are two photos…”

Bird photographer KC Tsang believes that the blackness is not due to photographic artifact. Field ornithologist Wang Luan Keng informs that the body feathers of birds may be of a different colour from that of the external feathers. Also, the lower portion of a feather may be differently coloured from that of the upper portion. This may not be always obvious as the lower portion is usually covered, due to the overlapping of feathers.

A physical examination of the feathers of a live or preserved specimen will provide a more definite answer.

All images by Roger Moo.

This post is a cooperative effort between www.naturepixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

Ingo Waschkies was in Belum-Temenggor, Malaysia recently and documented the annual gathering of the Plain-pouched Hornbill (Rhyticeros subruficollis) (above). The fig trees around Tasek Temenggor, an artificial lake created by the damming of the Perak River were in fruits.

Large flocks of the hornbill arrived via a few flight corridors to feast on the figs. Ingo reported that there were around two to three thousand birds flying over the lake: “…Some spectacular groups had more than 50 birds with the max being just over 80! This must surely count among the most spectacular bird sights in Malaysia.”

The Plain-pouched Hornbill occurs in Peninsular Malaysia, west and south Thailand and south Myanmar. The male has a bright orange-yellow pouch (left top) while the female is smaller, has an all-black head and neck and a sky-blue pouch (left bottom). Apparently these hornbills arrive annually to coincide with the figging of the trees.

There are many, including experienced birders, who mistakenly refer to these arrivals as annual migration. This is actually a local “migration” and definitely not a migration in the true sense of the word. After all, the majority of the hornbills are basically sedentary and the Plain-pouched definitely do not migrate to winter elsewhere.

Generally, hornbills congregate in large flocks to forage. Such foraging flocks are relatively stable and move in a unit. There is also feeding flocks where birds gather in large numbers for part of a day, a full day or even many days. These are temporary flocks where the birds arrive and leave in an uncoordinated manner. A third type of flocking is the communal roost, formed as foraging flocks gather in the evening.

The arrival of the Plain-pouch Hornbills to Malaysia from Thailand most probably, is a forging flock. Once arrived, the daily morning gathering in Temenggor as seen by Ingo is probably feeding flocks. In the evenings they fly off en masse as a roosting flock.

All images by Ingo Waschkies.

References:
1. Kemp, A. C. (2001). Family Bucerotidae (Hornbills). Pp. 436-523 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. (2001). Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 6. Mousebirds to Hornbills. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
2. Kinnaird, M. F. & O’Brien, T. G. (2007). The ecology and conservation of Asian hornbills: Farmers of the forest. University of Chicago Press.

This post is a cooperative effort between www.naturepixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.