Broadbills make up a small group of tropical birds of the family Eurylamidae. There are a total of 15 species, mostly brightly coloured. Eleven species are from Southeast Asia while the remaining four are African species. The Thai-Malay Peninsula claims seven species.

Singapore used to have five species: Black-and-red (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos) (above left), Black-and-yellow (Eurylaimus ochromalus) (above right), Banded (Eurylaimus javanicus) (below left), Dusky (Corydon sumatranus) (below right) and Green (Calyptomena viridis) (top). They are all extinct now.

Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand still have seven species, the five above as well as Long-tailed (Psarisomus dalhousiae) (below left) and Silver-breasted (Serilophus lunatus) (below right).

Broadbills are so-called because they have a large, broad, flat, hooked bill and a wide gape. All the seven species are found in rainforests. They are more often heard than seen. And all are distinctly brightly coloured - and cute.

Images: Black-and-red, Black-yellow and Long-tailed by Dr Eric Tan; Banded, Dusky and Silver-breasted by Willis; and Green Broadbill by Mark Chua.

Reference:
1. Bruce, M. D. (2003). Family Eurylaimidae (broadbills). Pp.54-93 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D. A. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 8. Broadbills to Tapaculos. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
2. Wells, D.R. (2007). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. II, Passerines. Christopher Helm, London.

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

It was evening, round about 1730 hours. I was sitting under my porch reading. Suddenly there was the loud and distinct swish-swish-swish, reminding me of the flapping of a powerful pairs of wings. Puzzled, I looked around. There, above me was a large bird, flying around and round under the roof of my porch.

The porch is about 5 metres square, with 0.5 metre sides from which arise the sloping roof that meet at a common point. The bird was trapped under the raised roof as it flew upwards round and round, desperately trying to find a way out. And just as suddenly, it flew downwards and out of its confinement. It landed on a branch of the mempat tree (Cratoxylum formosum) across the road (below).

There, tired and frightened, it rested awhile. It was an adult female Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea). And it did not look all that large.

It stayed on the branch long enough for me to take a few shots with my digital camera. Slowly I approached it, lugging my camera and tripod. Feeling threatened, it hopped off the branch to get behind some leafy branches. It continued to hop around the crown of the tree before flying off.

It was quite an exciting experience to view the large bird flying round and round at close range, not being able to clearly see what bird it was. And there was the pair of huge wings making the loud swishing sound.

How it ended under the roof of the porch, I do not know. It may be chasing an insect or something.

Asian Koels regularly appear on my Alexandra palms (Archontophoenix alexandrae), seemingly out of nowhere. But this was the fist time it ended under my porch.

The Striped-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni) is a dull-coloured bird distinguished by the yellow head-streaks (above). Its other distinguishing feature which may not always be present is the tiny red supraloral spot, characteristic of the nominate race that is found in Peninsular Malaysia. This bulbul is not found in Singapore.

Layhwee came across a family of three, two adults and a recently fledged chick in Bukit Tinggi, Malaysia in May 2008 (above).

The fledgling was naturally hungry and constantly begging for food (below). The adults were kept busy feeding it, mostly arthropods, probably insects.

These birds are found among secondary growths and open areas as well as urban areas. They are generalists, feeding on fruits and insects.

They breed between February to September, making deep, see-through cup-shaped nests of fibres and grasses, the outside incorporated with dead leaves for camouflage. Usually two eggs are laid and in this case only one is hatched. Both adults tend to the fledgling.

Unfortunately, breeding information is sketchy. Photographers, and hopefully birders, can record such observations.

All images by Layhwee.

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

“The Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris), which is grouped among the African warbler family, is considered to be common, and resident breeding in Singapore. They can be found among lallang grass (Imperata cylindrical), and other bushy plants in open, often degraded land that had been previously bulldozed over and prepared for construction of Housing and Development Board apartments or other uses. Land that had been left alone for some while, long enough for fast growing plants to recolonise it.

“This bird, with a grasshopper between it’s bill, was about to take it to her chicks (above). But are they actually her chicks? One need to ask this as these birds are often being brood-parasitised by the Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus).

“The calls of this delicate looking bird often starts with mewing, like that of a cat, then it goes into a very pleasant repetitive rhythm, very difficult to describe.”

According to Wells (2007), the “song is delivered from a prominent perch at the top of cover, is a hurried tidli-idli-ul, stressed on the first and last syllables and repeated at length, sometimes with intercalation of an extra idli. The alram call is a scolding (almost mewing) cheeair single or repeated once, and males (only?) produce a sharp, cracking or tearing wing-throb, prr’up, repeated rhythmically as they fly over their territory (this noise also recorded from a nest-builder).”

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

“The Short-tailed Babbler (Malacocincla malaccensis) is another one of those sulky, secretive denizens of the deep dark forest, hiding under cover most of the time, flies for short distances, hops around on the forest floor like a little mammal looking for worms, grubs or other insects. The birds calls mainly at dawn and is very sweet to the ears.

“The bird is an uncommon resident, restricted to the understorey of dry forests and to freshwater forests.”

According to Madoc (1956), “This is a queer little bird, with long white legs and practically no tail.” Actually, the legs are usually flesh-coloured or pinkish, sometimes grey (Collars & Robson, 2007).
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References:
1. Collar, N. J. & Robson, C. (2007). Family Timaliidae (Babblers). Pp. 70-291 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chikadees. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
2. Madoc, G. C. (1956). An introduction to Malayan birds. Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. (revised ed.)