“I have witnessed Javan Mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) fighting on a few occasions but have not managed to put them on record due to various reasons. Either the fight ended when the mynas were disturbed or I was simply without a camera. Then, on 24th July 2010, I finally managed to capture a few images and a short video of the action.

“I was passing by a town park when a noisy ruckus of scolding calls, recognised as from mynas, was heard. True enough, two pairs of Javan Mynas were having a fight on a grass patch some distance away (above and below). Quickly, I whipped out my camera and approached nearer. The mynas were engrossed in their dispute and ignored me as they continued while I started shooting. To better capture the ruckus and flowing action, I decided to switch to video mode. While recording in video mode, the fight ended abruptly when all four mynas suddenly froze and flew away within a second.

“Previous fights that I saw included a one-on-one fight where I was surprised to see a pair of mynas lying, almost motionless, on their sides in a school field. Approaching closer, I saw that they were entangled; with claws clutching to each other in a sort of a lock. Amazingly, no vocalisation was heard on that occasion. It was only later that I realised that they were having a fight when they remained locked together for a long time and were tugging and flapping their wings occasionally.

“Another fight that I witnessed involved probably ten birds with lots of chasing and pecking. They were making a ruckus with plenty of angry scolding calls. As this happened in a busy bus interchange, a few curious commuters gathered to investigate the noise. The mynas were oblivious to the crowd and continued with their fight. Their furious fight started from ground level and continued as they flew onto the roof of the bus interchange.

“Having witnessed a few fights involving Javan Mynas, I believe that such fights are common. Is fighting amongst birds common?”

Kwong Wai Chong
Singapore
15th August 2010

“An escapee parakeet that could either be a Blossom-Headed Parakeet (Psittacula roseata) or Plum-Headed Parakeet (P. cynocephala) was documented by Jason Cho at Pasir Ris carpark in October 2007. There is a high probability that the same individual was observed on 25th July 2010. The exotic escapee parakeet resembled the bird previously documented and was similarly seen near a carpark at Pasir Ris. It was in peaceful existence with a few Red-Breasted Parakeets.

“Initially, two inquisitive parakeet chicks were spotted peeping out from their nesting cavity that was located high in a branch of a tall albizia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria). The escapee parakeet arrived and landed on a tiny stem in front of the nest a short distance away (left). Within a short moment, an adult female Red-Breasted Parakeet arrived to land behind the nesting cavity before making its way to the front of the nest. The Red-Breasted must be the chicks’ mother. How about the escapee parakeet? Could it be the father? Could the chicks be offspring from cross breeding between the two closely related species?

“To confuse matters, another two adult Red-Breasted Parakeets joined them, making a total of three adult Red-Breasted and the lone escapee. Suddenly, wings were fluttering as the Red-Breasted switched positions while the escapee remained on its stem (above left). One of the birds flew to perch on top of the broken end of the branch which housed the nesting cavity. Seconds later, the escapee parakeet, which was peacefully perched until then, was dislodged by one of the Red-Breasted (above right). The escapee ended up perched on an almost vertical stem between two Red-Breasted Parakeets - one above and one below it. They remained in that position for more than 3 minutes without further provocation (below).

“The action ended with all the adult parakeets flying to the crown of an adjacent tree, probably to roost for the night. The parakeet chicks, which had by now disappeared into the cavity, were left all alone in the comfort of the nest.

“I was left wondering about the complex relationships between the escapee (Plum-Headed or Blossom-Headed) Parakeet and the Red-Breasted Parakeets. Unlike the noisy squawking sounds of the Red-Breasted, the escapee’s calls were of higher pitch and closer to whistling. Somehow, they must have learned to communicate with each other.

“Over the next two weekends, I returned to check on the nesting cavity but was unable to locate the birds. The nest seemed empty and both the chicks and the adult parakeets were nowhere to be seen. The chicks must have fledged.”

Kwong Wai Chong
Singapore
11th August 2010

“Tambun is a small town on the outskirts of Ipoh that has, in the past 10 years, been engulfed by the city. Now considered a suburban area with large properties and garden.

“Came across this sprawling Ficus benjamina that was fruiting extensively. Full of ‘common’ birds feeding together. There was some minor conflict, but generally enough food to keep everyone busy.

“I have grouped the birds seen over a two hour period into three groups as below:

“Birds seen feeding on Ficus benjamina ‘fruits’:
1. Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans): 4-6 (2-3 pairs) (above left).
2. Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis maculates): 10-12, 2-3 were juvenile feeding independently (above centre).
3. Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis strigata): a flock (more like a swarm) (above right).
4. Yellow Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier analis): 6-8 (mostly adult pairs) (below left).
5. Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala indica): 4-5, 3 were juvenile feeding independently (below centre).
6. Lineated Barbet (Megalaima lineata hodgsoni): one pair.
7. Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius madoci) feeding on fallen ‘fruits’ – they forage on the ground and do not seem to pick ‘fruits’ off the tree.

“Birds suspected to feeding on Ficus benjamina ‘fruits’:
1. Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis tristis): one pair, seen checking out ‘fruits’ in tree, actual feeding not seen (above right).
2. Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica): one adult noted in tree but not seen feeding, flew off soon after I came.
3. Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata) – seen picking on old ‘fruits’ that had dropped on to the pavement below (below left).

“Birds using the Ficus benjamina ‘fruits’ feeding frenzy to get other animal prey:
1. Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia horizoptera) – one pair foraging for caterpillars (above centre).
2. Pied Triller (Lalage nigra striga) – one male foraging for animal prey (above right).”

[The above images show the Coppersmith Barbet's feeding behaviour - pecking off a piece from a fig and then taking the remainder between its mandibles to squash it before swallowing.]

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Tambun, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
16th May 2010

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS recorded the songs of the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus platurus) (left top) at the Keledang Sayong Forest Reserve, Perak, Malaysia on 24th April 2010… HERE and HERE.

“Drongos are great mimics and I have spent many pleasant hours trying to find a bird with a melodious call only to discover it was a Drongo,” wrote Amar. “…Note that there was a rushing river nearby adding to the background noise. Part of this call has a metallic component that was made by the bird.”

Earlier, on10th January 2010, he heard a loud commotions of squeaks and melodious songs at the same forest. Suddenly two adult Greater Racket-tailed Drongos came rushing past, one chasing the other. “It was a mad chase through thick jungle and dense bamboo. They went round and round for 3-4 minutes, twisting and turning here and there,” recounted Amar (left bottom). “I considered a mating ritual but it is unlikely. The Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, when breeding, are known to be highly aggressive (Wells 2007). This was possibly a breeding male chasing off a competitor. When it was over one of them, out of my view, continued to mimic various calls for some time.”

Reference:
Wells, D.R., 2007. The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. II, Passerines. Christopher Helm, London. 800 pp.

“I was witness to a brief confrontation between two Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) last Sunday morning.

“My attention was first drawn to a Grey Heron descending in the middle of the sea after making a sharp turn. As it descended, it decelerated as if it was moving in slow motion. When it was about to reach the water surface, with its long neck stretched downwards, it plunged its long beak into the water. When its beak emerged out of the water, a huge catfish had been caught (below).

“It then ascended and flew to a shallow part of the sea where it prepared the fish; manipulating it in its mandibles and washing it in the water several times. At times, the fish slipped from its mandibles to be picked up soon after. About 15 minutes after the catch, the preparation seemed complete as the fish was positioned ‘head-first’ towards its throat.

“Suddenly, a second grey heron appeared and flew in (below left), landing less than ten metres away. By this time, the huge fish, which must be heavy, had been held in ‘head-first’ position, for about 1 minute 45 seconds - a pretty long time. The first heron must be tiring, and somehow, seemed not quite ready to swallow the fish.

“The first heron looked uneasy with the arrival of this second bird. It changed direction to move away from the second heron with the prey still being maintained in ‘head-first’ position. Apparently, it had wanted to finish off its huge prey. Unfortunately, probably due to its lack of experience or pressure exerted by the presence of the second bird, the fish slipped away from its grip and fell into the water (above middle).

“Immediately, the second heron grabbed this opportunity to fly in to challenge for the fish. In a defensive stance to deter the intruder, the first heron reacted by opening up its wings and erected the black plumes on its head (above right). Both birds leaped out of the water and were airborne in confrontation (below left). The soaring second heron’s higher position above the first heron, probably exhibited its superiority over its opponent (below middle). When they landed, the first heron turned away in retreat, defeated (below right). Neither vocalisation nor physical contact was observed during this brief confrontation.

“Victorious, the second heron picked up its prize from the sea. It then flew away with the huge fish firmly in its beak, leaving the vanquished to rue its loss and misfortune.”

Kwong Wai Chong
Singapore
25th February 2010