Flowerpeckers are tiny birds that dart around the forest trees with lightning speed. Because of the rapid movement and being solitary birds, they are difficult to see. However, they always make their characteristic metallic clicking sound and with a little patience, the location of these birds can always be pinpointed.

The Orange-bellied (Dicaeum trigonostigma) (male and female, above left) and Scarlet-backed (D. cruentatum) (male, above right) are found locally and easily seen but one needs to travel to Peninsular Malaysia to view the Crimson-breasted (Prionochilus percussus) (male, below). All three species of flowerpeckers shown here are feasting on melastoma fruits.

The birds take flower nectar, fruits and occasionally small insects. Figs are a favourite, as well as the berries of the sun-loving shrub, melastoma (Melastoma malabathricum). It is easier to view these birds around melastome as fruiting is throughout the year. On a sunny spell, the metallic clicking of these birds can be heard, heralding their presence.

Melastoma, sometimes misleadingly called Singapore rhododendron, is a weedy shrub that proliferates in disturbed areas. In areas that are fired regularly, these plants soon form semi-pure stands as they survive the fire while others do not. If left alone, they grow into small trees.

The plant flowers throughout the year. The pinkish mauve flowers last only a day, opening early morning and closing late afternoon. They attract bees, especially the large carpenter bees that assist in pollination.

The fruits split open at maturity to expose the soft, dark blue pulp dotted with tiny, orange seeds. They are sweetish and children love them, staining their teeth purple in the process of eating them. Squirrels, monkeys and birds love them, and in the process help to disperse the seeds.

Images from the book “A Passion for Birds” courtesy of Ong Kiem Sian.

On 14th December 2007 at about 0745 hours, the morning silence was suddenly broken by the loud squawking of about 20 Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) in my garden.

Most of the birds descended on my ceram palms (Rhopaloblaste ceramica) while a few were on one of my Alexandra palms (Archontophoenix alexandrae). This latter palm was bearing female flowers and the birds were crowding on the inflorescence branches.

And they were busy pecking on the female flowers and eating them.

Now, palm flowers are unisexual, meaning there are male (left bottom) and female (left top) flowers. These are borne in threes on massive inflorescence branches. Usually there are one female flanked by two male flowers. The male flowers mature first followed by the female.

In the case of this Alexandra palm, the male flowers had developed earlier and all that were left were female flowers. There were bees around these flowers as they secrete nectar. So these parakeets were feasting on the nectar given out by the female flowers.

James Heng was at Lower Peirce in late January 2008 when he came across a sarcaca tree, possibly yellow saraca (Saraca thaipingensis), in full bloom:

“There are about five pairs of Purple Throated Sunbirds (Nectariniua sperata) feeding voraciously on the flowers of a tree at Lower Pierce Reservoir (above).

“That flowering saraca tree is a magnet for the birds of the Nectariniidae family. At one point in time this afternoon, there were four species of sunbirds - Olive Backed (Cinnyris jugularis), Brown-throated (Anthreptes malacensis), Crimson (A. siparaja) and Purple Throated, feeding together on the flowers’ nectar at the same time.

“A pair of Scarlet-Backed Flowerpeckers (Dicaeum cruentatum) also decided to join in the buffet. They plucked off and ate the saraca small green fruits.

“The feeding frenzy rose several notches just before and immediately after each of the intermittent episodes of rain.”

There are a few species of saraca trees planted in Singapore, originating from nearby Malaysia. The image above shows the yellow saraca with its attractive purple young leaves hanging like tassels from the ends of branches. It would take a few days before these leaves stiffen up and turn green. The tree is just beginning to flower. When in full flowering, the large bunches of yellow to orange-red flowers appear in dense clusters from the main branches and trunk. The flowers are faintly fragrant, each with a crimson eye-spot that darkens to blood-red.

The tree attracts many species of birds that visit for the flower nectar and fruits.

Image of sunbird by David Tan and of tree by YC.

An image of the Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) eating the fruits of Pipturus argenteus (Family Urticaceae) was recently submitted by bird photographer Chan Yoke Meng (left top).

This is a shrub with unisexual flowers and small, black fruits in a white foamy and fleshy receptacle (left bottom). The entry in Keng (1990) states: “A fairly recent introduced weed of the Pacific Isls., found in waste places in city areas.”

Unlike most cuckoos that feed on insects, this koel feeds largely on fruits. This is another example of birds adapting to exotic plants in their search for food.

Input and image of koel by Meng and Melinda Chan; Angie Ng helped in identifying the plant and KF Yap supplied the images of the plant and reported that he has once seen an Asian Koel eating a ripe papaya (Carica papaya) fruit.

Reference:
Keng, H. (1990). The concise flora of Singapore. Singapore University Press.
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Hornbills are mainly fruit eaters, although their diet also includes invertebrates including caterpillars, small amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

In Thailand a total of 13 species have been recorded. The different types of foods these spectacular birds take have been well documented by the Hornbill Research Foundation of Thailand.

Figs (Ficus spp.) are an important source of the hornbill’s diet (above). There are many species of figs and many of them flower throughout the year. This means that there would always be some trees figging at any time of the year.

Other than figs, a total of more than 60 species of rainforest trees provide these birds with food. These are mainly under-storey trees, many of which are also found outside the forests.

The most important of these plant families include Myristicaceae: Myristica (left top), Knema (left middle) and Gymnacranthera (below, top left); Meliaceae: Aglaia spectabilis (below, top middle), Chisocheton (left bottom), Dysoxylon; Annonaceae: Polyalthia (below, top right); Lauraceae: Litsea (below, bottom left); Myrtaceae: Syzygium; Palmae: Oncosperma; Rubiaceae: Canthium below, bottom right); Sterculiaceae: Sterculia (below, bottom middle) and Theaceae: Ternstroemia.

Besides fruits, hornbills have been known to take millipede (below left), caterpillar, grasshopper, beetle (below middle), gecko and rat (below right). An animals diet is most important during nesting as the growing chicks need a constant source of proteins.

Two earlier posts on hornbills of Thailand are found HERE: 1 and 2.

Input from Hornbill Research Foundation; images courtesy of Dr Pilai Poonswad.