In the town of Raub, in Pahang, Malaysia, Muhammad Firdaus Redzlan was observing a Gold-wiskered Barbet (Megalaima chrysopogon) cleaning up a nesting cavity in a trunk of a tree. Young Muhammad informed his father who kept watch the next morning.

The barbet returned to check on the cavity. But before Dr Redzlan Abdul Rahman could record the visit, the bird flew off. He waited for an hour that morning but the barbet did not return. Instead, a pair of Common Flamebacks (Dinopium javanense) arrived and duly inspected the cavity (above: male left, female right).

In the evening Dr Redzlan again kept watch. No barbet. But this time a pair of Javan Mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) came, poked their heads into the hole to inspect it (above). They were probably looking for food. Or were they prospecting for a nesting cavity?

Then late that evening he saw a Gold-wiskered Barbet (probably male) perched high up on the tree with food in his mouth. The bird did not inspect the hole but instead flew off with the food in his bill.

This barbet arrived from the west the next day to perch on the branch of the same tree (left). It rested for a while before proceeding east, always with some yellowish food in his bill. Parent birds normally do not fly directly to its nest to feed the chicks. They always land some distance away, to check whether it is safe to proceed, before flying to the nest. This may be what the barbet was doing.

The cavity appeared to have been abandoned as there was no sign of the barbet visiting it during the following two weeks. But the mynas and woodpeckers kept on checking the cavity.

Many birds are hole nesters but not all such birds are capable of excavating their very own nesting cavities. Only birds like barbets and woodpeckers excavate cavities in old and rotting tree trunks and branches. Others have to make do with natural cavities that develop as the wood rots. Or else depend on second-hand cavities, cavities once used by other birds but now abandoned.

Old and dying trees are never permanent. As they rot, the limbs collapse and eventually even the trunk gives way. Such trees pose a danger to life and limbs, especially around human habitation, so they are routinely removed.

Nesting cavities are thus always in short supply. Competition will always be fierce and some birds even go to the extent of physically removing the residing birds. See HERE for an account of the confrontation between the Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) and the Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis).

One way to reduce this housing shortage is to provide nest boxes. However, we are way behind the west in the use of and research on nesting boxes. But we have made a start with the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris).

Dr Redzian Abdul Rahman from Raub, Malaysia, observed and documented the courtship and mating behaviour of the Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) that we are presenting below. Where he lives, there is a small grove of banana and papaya plants by a river and there are “lots of birds, such as Yellow-vented Bulbul, Mynas, Glosy Starling, Black-nape Oriole, etc., a full list of which is given in his blog.
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In the top image, the male flies in to perch near the female. He comes prepared with gifts and indulges in courtship feeding, a common ritual among many species of birds (above). The male in this case has a number of fruits in his gullet but he passes on only one to the female. Sometimes he may have to offer more than one, but not in this case. And at times the female may teasingly pass back the fruit to the male.

After courtship feeding comes copulation. With the next gift still in his bill, he carefully mounts her. With wings fluttering, he then maneuvers his tail so that his cloaca comes into contact with hers, a process that is termed the “cloacal kiss” (above). It is at this stage that sperms are transferred from the cloaca of the male to that of the female.

Immediately after the cloacal kiss, the male dismounts, the fruit still in his bill as the female has yet to eat his gift. Once she eats the fruit, he mounts her again, never offering her another gift (above). In a flash he completes his second cloacal kiss and flies off.

Immediately after the first pair completed their mating, another pair flew in and copulated (above). In this case the male did not even offer the fruit he had at the ready in his bill.

In the above image, note the everted cloacal opening of the female bird on the right, seen immediately after copulation. The male bird on the left still has his fruit in his bill, to be offered, no doubt, to his next partner.

Courtship activities may centre round the potential nesting cavity. The birds may indulge in a lot of singing, either simultaneous singing by the courting pair or duetting between males. Flight displays are common, with the male flying to perch besides the female, often with wings fluttering.

See an earlier account where the male barbet got three “bonks” for the price of two berries HERE.

“In 2001 we noticed a pair of Coppersmith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) excavating a nest hole in a dead branch of a Flame of Forest tree (Delonix regia) in our work place. For two consecutive seasons we watched them feed (right) and successfully raised a pair of chicks each time.

“In 2003 the pair returned to use the same nest hole. On 25 March 2003, after a heavy rainstorm the previous evening, we found the host branch on the ground and, on scanning the area, one small and wet shivering chick was located. When we went back later to the site we found the second chick. Their frail condition and small size left us wondering whether they would make it. The weights of the chicks were measured (refer table below).

“We put a towel in a cardboard box and placed the chicks inside (left top). Never having raised any barbet chicks before, we initially fed them with ripe berries from the Indian Cherry tree (Muntingia calabura) by holding the chicks in our hands and slightly squeezing the pulp and juice into their bills (left bottom). After initial hesitation on the first day, both chicks ate better. As the chicks needed constant care and feeding, they were kept in the office during working hours taken home at night either by the author or Phang Chee Mun.

“By the fourth day in our care, more feathers had grown. We continued with the diet of berries but found that, though the chicks were eating well, they had lost weight. A friend who keeps Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis) recommended that we try dog food pellets as these were a good source of protein. We immediately started the chicks on a diet of dog food pellet (first soaked in water till soft and fed in small pieces), papayas and bananas. Colleagues who went out for lunch contributed part of their fruits to the chicks. It was noticed that the chicks would always flick away any excess water before swallowing the pellets. The chicks were very demanding and every half to three-quarters of an hour would call out loudly for food.

“On 3 April 2003, the chicks had put on weight again and by 7 April the chicks were learning to pick up food themselves. The chicks were kept in an open box and we made mini stands for them to perch on (right top). At home in the evenings the chicks were placed on a tree in the garden (right bottom). Both chicks had different characters, the bigger chick being dominant and always bullying the smaller one. On 8 April, the chicks started to explore away from their cozy box and on 9 April, when placed on a tree, they started to jump around the branches.

“On 10 April, the chicks started to exercise their wings and on 11 April, the bigger chick was able to fly a distance of about one metre while the smaller chick only managed about 0.3 m.

“On 13 April, the bigger chick stopped eating the dog food pellet and was only eating papaya while the smaller chick continued taking both pellet and papaya. On the evening of 14 April, the bigger chick refused to come down from the tree in my garden and then flew off across the road towards the larger trees opposite my house. The smaller chick tried to follow but could only reach some shrubs in my neighbour’s garden.

“The next morning I heard both chicks calling. The bigger chick was on a tall tree opposite my house, calling and encouraging the smaller chick which was still in my neighbour’s garden to join it. Before leaving for work I retrieved the smaller chick, placed it in the tree in my garden and left some papaya for it. In the evening when I came home the smaller chick was still in the same tree while the bigger chick was perched high up in another tree in my garden. Later, the smaller chick flew strongly and joined the bigger chick on a tree opposite my house. Both roosted there that night.

“The next day, 16 April and thereafter, the chicks would return back to the tree in my garden every morning and evening to eat the papaya which I would leave out for them. The free fruit attracted the attention of other birds too and after 30 April, the chicks stopped returning to the fruit tray. Though no more dependent on the hand-outs, the chicks learned to survive on their own and continued to be seen together daily for another few more weeks and had probably learned to source for their own food.”

Images by Ooi Beng Yean and Phang Chee Mun.

The above was first published in Suara Enggang as: Chiu, S.C., Ooi, B.Y. and Phang C.M. 2007. Coppersmith Barbet Chicks With a Steely Spirit. Suara Enggang 15 (2):13-14.

How long does it take for a cavity nester to excavate and complete a nesting area, fitted to size, before commencing to bring forth and to propagate their species?

A few hours? A few days?

In SE Asia alone, there are 42 species of Woodpeckers (Picidae), 16 species of Barbets (Megalaimidae) and 12 species of Hornbills (Bucerotidae) that are mainly cavity nesters.

Each species has its own peculiar style in terms of size, shape and tidiness of their nesting cavities. Some have it high up on mostly dead tree trucks, some have been observed to be at eye level and many choose their temporary homes midway.

There are those who are tidy and meticulous, while others are more practical, easy going and choosing natural cavities to provide finishing touches for a quick make over.

This species, Gold-whiskered Barbet (Megalaima chrysopogon), like a tailor with chalk, was observed to peck a squarish montage before sinking her excavating beak into the middle, resulting in ‘a hole-in-square’ as seen in this image (above). The lower dead bark that was loose, eventually eroded away due to frequent perch of the bird.

The Banded Woodpecker (Picus miniaceus) took a quicker way out by choosing a stump that had its outer bark weathered or torn away, exposing a ready, fibrous foundation surface to work on (below left).

The Checker–throated Woodpecker (Picus mentalis) family observed with John and Alison Morgan showed a neatly excavated cavity to breed their two fledglings (above right).

A recent birding trip provided me the opportunity to chance a closer look of a 17-18 cm female, Blue-eared Barbet (Megalaima australis) preparing her home (below).

While the ‘3-step’ precautious approach seemed to be a common behaviour of all barbets I have observed so far, this small species that is just about a fraction bigger than his close cousin, Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) was too busy with her duties to be found out.

I found myself just behind her…about 15 feet away.

This is when a birder is rewarded with a one to one observation, with no interference of anyone else present. No sound of sorts. Just me, Jacinta the Blue-eared Barbet witnessed by an open broadleaved, evergreen forest. My partner, DG Scope had a field day.

The observation can be briefly described below.

At 0939 hours, 6th August, a small green bird was seen perched on the side of a dead tree trunk about 10 feet above ground. It seemed distracted. My 10×42 binoculars confirmed the species to be a female sub–species duvaucelii working hard at excavating her nesting cavity.

On 8th August morning, a revisit showed she was busy bailing out wood dust with her black ivory beak. The coincidental timing of two visits could not be better as good birding luck provided the opportunity to witness the alpha and the omega of a female, Blue- eared Barbet in nest making.

There was no sign of her male partner present throughout my visits. Perhaps, he was a rouge ‘passing through’ partner like his close cousin, Sonny, the ‘Avian Cowboy’, Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) (left).

Perhaps it was simply… “Wham Bam, goodbye Mam!”

Details of her best green jaded, breeding plumage was observed. Her long, black rictal bristles were prominently displayed. Three small, red patches on side of head were distinctive markings of her identity.

I played ‘dead wood’ and took my distance behind her in my attire that blended into the environment and kept my golden rule - being, “Whatever I do in any bird observation or follow-up digiscopy, to do it without intentionally distracting or compromising birds reproduction life cycle to just benefit myself.”

The bird’s rewarding moment came, when 1st entry was made at 1134 hours. She flew into her newly made home and shuffled to check for fitness and satisfaction.

Before Jacinta flew off, she gave a blank stare of disbelief.

A two legged looking, tree trunk was smiling back.

Did she see me?

“Look into my eyes…” said the blurry bird in the hole of this blurry image (left).

The feat of this small bird took a total of 49 hours 55 minutes.

DG Scope presenting readers the following progressive images from beginning of exposed wood (above) to first moment of entry (left).

AVIAN WRITER DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA

Birds that nest in the open are generally dull looking as they need to blend in with the surroundings, least they become easy prey to predators. The female especially are thus brown and streaky in appearance. On the other hand those that nest in cavities can afford to be colourful, especially the females. They would thus be relatively safe when they are nesting.

This was what I read. So I went about looking for examples.

The Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) (left top) and the Malaysian Plover (Charadrius peronii) (left bottom) are coastal birds whose nests are mere shallow scrapes. Their only defence is the dull white-brown plumage that provide excellent camouflage in the beach habitat.

The Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) is another bird that nests on a shallow scrape, not along the beach but among scrub vegetation (right). It is just as exposed to predators but again its camouflage is excellent and one is generally aware if its presence only when the bird suddenly flies off the ground in a flutter of wings when approached. But then it always plays the broken wing game if there are eggs or chicks in the nest to distract the intruder.

Similarly, the Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) (below left) and the White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) (below right), whose nests are exposed, have plain plumages.

Hole nesters are less conspicuous when incubating or brooding. They would not attract predators with their colourful plumages when nesting.

The Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) nests in cavities (left top). So does the Red-crowned Barbet (Megalaima rafflesii) (left bottom). The males as well as the females of both these birds are colourful, although some may say that the barbet is the more colourful of the two.

The Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) is also a cavity nester. The bird can be considered colourful. But not the Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis, a blackish hole-nesting bird. Or the Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) or even the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus). Of course in nature there would always be exceptions to the rule.

In birds that are sexually dimorphic, where the males more colourful than the females, most are non-cavity nesters. Or are they? The colourful males, besides taking the attention away from the duller and more cryptic females, need the colours to compete with other males for the attention of females. Good examples are Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) (below left) and Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis ) (below right). The nests of both are hanging, enclosed structures, rather than open nests like in bulbuls. Not so the Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans), whose nest is a plain platform of twigs. The male is slightly more colourful than the female but both are not as colourful as the barbets, kingfisher and other cavity nesters.

Large and aggressive birds can afford to be showy, even when nesting in the open. They can look after themselves. But again, the aggressive crows do not have a colourful plumage…

Images by Chan Yoke Meng (Large-tailed Nightjar, Red-crowned Barbet), Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong (Little Tern), Philip Tang (Malaysian Plover), KC Tsang (Oriental White-eye), YC (Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Olive-backed Sunbird, White-breasted Waterhen, Collared Kingfisher).