For most of 2006 and after, a Great Hornbill (Buceros bicronis) and a Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), both had somehow escaped from captivity, were seen regularly at a patch of secondary growth at Eng Neo (1 and 2). The pair was prospecting a tree cavity along the trunk of an old albezia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria), a normal courtship ritual in hornbills. Obviously there would be no breeding as the pair was of different species, besides both being females.

In early 2009, The Singapore Hornbill Project trapped the pair, caged the Great in the Jurong BirdPark and later released the Rhinoceros.

The plan was to re-introduce a male Rhinoceros Hornbill into the wild to provide a mate for the female Rhinoceros, now that its female Great companion was safely caged.

The caged male Rhinoceros was left at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to attract the free-flying female Rhinocrous, and hopefully the two would bond and take the “straight and narrow” path.

The female Rhinoceros did initially visit the caged male but subsequently left, never to return. However, a resident from nearby Johor in Malaysia reported seeing a Rhinoceros Hornbill flying around the Johor Baru padang in late 2009. This could possibly be the missing bird. As of today, the missing Rhinoceros Hornbill has yet to be located, despite the GPS tracking device attached to it, which by now would no longer be working.

Meanwhile the caged male escaped and was subsequently found by an amateur angler floating in the sea, probably as a result of exhaustion. The Jurong BirdPark was informed and the hornbill is now safely back in the park.

Hornbills apparently bond for life - I suppose regardless of whether they are of different species, in addition to being of the same sex. After all, don’t they mate “for better or for worse”?

This may well be wishful thinking, but now that we know the female Rhinoceros is not interested in a male bird of the same species, should not the female Great that is currently caged in the Jurong BirdPark be released? …in an effort to lure back the missing female Rhinoceros and allow both to fly free? After all, the escaped female Great had been enjoying her freedom for probably more than a decade, as sightings of Great Hornbills were reported as early as 1986.

Admittedly the Great Hornbill is not native to Singapore, and conventional wisdom believes that it should be caged, but Singapore is constantly seeing exotic birds flying freely. Recently two other exotic hornbill species were sighted - Narcondam Hornbill (Rhyticeros narcondami) that is confined to the Narcondam and Andaman Islands and Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), found in parts of Kenya, Burundi, Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. I wonder where these two species escaped from?

Anyone sighting a stray Rhinoceros Hornbill in Singapore or nearby Johor, please keep us informed. Marc Cremades, who is spearheading the Singapore Hornbill Project, is eager to locate the wayward bird. The bird can be recognised by the GPS pack attached to its back.

Image by YC Wee.

Choo Teik Ju was at Singapore’s Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in early November 2009 when he encountered a family of Milky Storks (Mycteria cinerea). One of the parents caught this fish, which was trapped in the mud during water release, and threw it over to this juvenile (below left). The fish looks like the Brown Sweetlips, also known as Hotlips (Plectorhinchus gibbosus), recognised from the dark grey-brown body and swollen lips. The two adults (below right) are sunning the inner surfaces of their wings.

A total of four Milky Storks were spotted, two adults and two juveniles. These storks have been sighted in Singapore during the last few years, mainly in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Their status here is debatable – either vagrant or escapee. However, it is known that they were introduced by the Mandai Zoo as free-flying birds since 1987, now breeding freely there.

Jason Cho encountered and photographed a Blossom-headed Parakeet (Psittacula roseata) at Singapore’s Pasir Ris carpark in October 2007.

This is a resident of NE India, Bangladesh, SW and S China. In Southeast Asia it is uncommon to fairly common in Myanmar, parts of Thailand and Indochina.

There is a substantial international trade in this parakeet. This specimen is most probably an escapee.

Image by Jason Cho.

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

Note: Lee Chiu San believes the bird is a Plum-headed Parakeet (P. cyanocephala), see under comment.

“I read articles posted on your website about the Yellow-fronted Canary (Serinus mozambicus). I was amazed at the reports.

“I have discovered a Yellow-fronted Canary at my bird feeder in the past week. I live in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. This is a very long way from its native habitat.

“I am sending *two photographs of this bird for positive identification. I believe it to be a wild species. It is not banded, and was possibly taken from the wild and sold into illegal markets and has somehow found its way to my city, a seaport in the north Atlantic.

“Could you post this report, as it would help in educating readers about the ban placed on the export of these birds for illegal sale to foreign markets, as a result of contagious avian diseases.”

Keith Fillier
St. John’s
Newfoundland
Canada
16th September 2009

Summerian Turks, who wrote on the status of the Yellow-fronted Canary and the extent of the international trade earlier (see HERE), confirms the identification of the bird, adding that from its facial markings, it is likely to be a male. The female usually has more grey on the underparts.

*Only one photograph posted here.

“This bird Onychognathus morio, had been noticed for some years back, living in the grounds of the Tang Dynasty Village. It was roosting in the holes and crevices of the much deteriorated buildings, which are now all demolished to make way for another resort, a playground for the rich. With the buildings gone, it can be found flying from tree to tree in the same area, I do not know where it would roost for the night.

“This bird is a native of Africa, from Ethiopia to South Africa, and breeds mainly on rocky cliffs, now it has adapted to living in urban areas, and other man made structures.

“So looks like we will have this bird with us for some years to come, as I have noticed that it is in very good condition, and thus must have adapted well to the fast changing environment of the Jurong Lake area.”

KC Tsang
12th May 2009