Peninsular Malaysia has two resident Whistling Thrushes, Blue (Myophonus caeruleus) (above) and Malayan (M. robinsoni). The former has a wide distribution that includes South-central Asia, Southern Tibet, the Himalayas, part of the Indian subcontinent and China, down south to Southeast Asia, up to Sumatra and Java. The Malayan, on the other hand, has a very limited range: confined only to the Main Range from Cameron Highlands south to Genting Highlands (below).

The two species are differentiated by size, the Malayan being, according to Wells (2007), “Roughly 15 percent smaller and proportionately longer – rather than, as often assumed, shorter-tailed than Blue Whistling Thrush…” Also, the Malayan lacks the white spotting on the median wing-coverts, which are not present in the juvenile Blue. The Malayan has blue forehead, which is however, inconspicuous in deep shade.

Few birders have seen the Blue Whistling Thrush and fewer still the Malaysian Whistling Thrush. Ecological information on these birds is scarce and since the discovery of the nesting at Cameron Highlands by Allan Teo, we have made a number of posts on the nesting behaviour: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Image of Blue Whistling Thrush by KC Tsang and that of Malayan Whistling Thrush by Allan Teo.

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

On 11th February 2008, Dr Eric Tan a.k.a. MountainMan, documented an adult Red-legged Crake (Rallina fasciata) accompanied by a recently fledged chick foraging together in the Singapore Botanical Gardens (above: adult right, fledgling left).

There is more than one family of Red-legged Crake in the Gardens. One or more birds are regularly sighted in the morning or early evening, foraging or even stealing a bath in a roadside puddle after rain.

The above images show the adult on the left and the fledgling on the right. The adult is an impressive looking bird with bright chestnut-orange head, neck, throat and upper breast. The lower breast and belly have prominent white barring. Coupled with these features are the bright orange iris and eye ring and red legs. However, the sexes are not easily distinguishable, although the female is somewhat more cinnamon on the head and neck. Also, her belly and flanks have narrower black bars.

The juvenile, shown above stretching a wing and a leg, is not often illustrated in guide books, possibly because such images are uncommon. Well, we have here distinct images of a recently fledged chick showing brownish plumage that is chestnut in the adult. Also, the less distinct barring on the lower breast, belly and coverts. The iris and eye ring are less bright and the legs are just beginning to develop the redness.

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

All images by Dr Eric Tan.

The Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) breeds in southern Europe and northwest Africa and from central Asia to northern China and Malaysia.

In Peninsular Malaysia, the thrush, true to its name, breeds in limestone outcrops and according to Collar (2005), is has been observed recently to breed also in city buildings. Here, it is a resident as well as a migratory bird.

The birds that KC Tsang highlight here were photographed among the limestone hills around Kek Look Tong, an area known as Gunung Rapat in Ipoh, Perak. Such limestone habitat is where the bird builds its nest, a shallow cup or rough pad of grass, leaves and rootlets lined with soft grass, and sometimes also feathers and/or plant floss. The nest is placed under a rock overhang or in a cliff crevice.

The male is smoky blue with dark wings (top) while the female and immature have dark brown upperparts and paler brown and scaly underparts (above). The bird is omnivorous, taking insects and other arthropods on the ground as well as on the wing. It also eats snails, lizards and berries.

The male has a clear and rich melodious song.

Incidentally, the bird is Malta’s national bird.

Addendum: The Blue Rock Thrush has apparently been spotted a few time in Singapore. The first record was in 1991 when Richard Ollington photographed it in Tuas. There have been very few sightings since.

References:
1. Anon. (2006). Birds of Perak. Bird Group, Malaysian Nature Society, Perak Branch.
2. Collar, N. J.. (2005). Family Turdidae (Thrushes). Pp. 514-805 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D. A. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 10. Cucuoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
3. Wang, L.K. & Hails, C. J. (2007) An annotated checklist of birds of Singapore. Raffles Bull. Zool. Suppl. 15:1-179.
4. Wells, D.R. (2007). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. II, Passerines. Christopher Helm, London.

A Storm’s Stork (Ciconia stormi) was sighted flying over Panti Forest Reserve, Johor, Malaysia on the morning of 14th April 2008 (above). It was flying south and of the many who witnessed the bird, only “flexi” of NaturePixel.org succeeded in getting an image that is posted here.

The sighting of the Storm’s Stork around Johor’s Panti Forest is not the first. Wells (1999) reports the sighting of two birds in 1995 by R. Subaraj.

This is a relatively large bird that is found around Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. In Malaysia, whether in Peninsular Malaysia or in the states of Sabah and Sarawak in the island of Borneo, it is either a rare resident or an irregular visitor.

According to Elliott (1992), the bird was sighted some time ago in Thailand but probably now extinct. Its status globally was listed as “indeterminate,” but most probably it is now endangered.

Most of the world’s Storm’s Stork are confined to Indonesia, with an estimated population of less than 300. It is generally found in undisturbed freshwater habitats, especially peat swamp forests. However, with the current rapid destruction of the country’s peat forests, it is fast becoming endangered. The bird is not well adapted to disturbed habitats.

There is limited information on the stork. It is generally known that it feeds on fish. However, what other food it eats is hardly known. Its breeding behaviour is similarly poorly known.

Image courtesy of “flexi” of NaturePixel.org.

References:
1. Elliott, A. (1992). Family Ciconiidae (Storks). Pp. 436-465 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 1. Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
2. Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London.

The Lesser Shortwing (Brachypteryx leucophrys) is a bird that not many birders have the opportunity to see. More often than not, it is heard than seen. And once heard, its rich and melodious song remains with you.

But even after hearing its vocalisation, it is extremely difficult to locate the bird. It lurks on or near the ground, alone or in a pair. And mostly, it remains within the tangle of vegetation in the forest understorey, or at the forest edge hidden among the thicket.

Yet, KC Tsang managed to photograph both the male and the female in Peninsular Malaysia’s Fraser’s Hill. He did not encounter both sexes on the same visit. In July 2006 he managed to see and photograph a female bird when it emerged from hiding to take a bath in a forest stream (above). As for the male, he only got his shot two years later, in March 2008 (below).

The Lesser Shortwing is mostly a montane forest bird, found generally at an altitude of 1,500 and 2,100 metres. According to Wells (2007), it’s “advertising-song is surprisingly loud and intense: two deliberate, well-separated notes, who, hee, followed immediately by a sweet but explosive jingle lasting about a second, too fast to unravel by ear (slightly slower on the E-coast Range), but with sharply up-and-down notation and some doubling of sounds.” Its alarm call “is a 3-6 repetitions of a low but sharp monosyllable, tuk or tak, answered with a fine, thin see or whee.

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