3-1-2016 HONG KONG - BLACK CRESTED BULBUL (Rubigula flaviventris)

The black-crested bulbul is generally about 19 cm in length. As the name suggests, the head of this bulbul is black while the rest of its body is different shades of yellow. Both the male and female are similar in plumage. One can make out a younger bird by its slightly duller coloring.

This is a bird of forest and dense scrub.

It builds its nest in a bush; two to four eggs are a typical clutch. The black-crested bulbul feeds on fruit and insects.

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - BLACK CAPPED LORY (Lorius lory)

The black-capped lory (Lorius lory) also known as western black-capped lory or the tricolored lory, is a parrot found in New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands. It is a colourful and relatively robust lory (31 cm (12 in)). There are seven subspecies, all with green wings, red heads and body around the wing, a black cap, grey-black cere, yellow underwings, and blue legs and belly. Most also have a blue nape and mantle (area between wings on the back). It remains overall widespread and common, but the subspecies cyanuchen is relatively rare, with fewer than 5,000 individuals remaining.

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - CRESTED PIGEON (Ocyphaps lophotes)

The Crested pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) is an Australian species of pigeon. Only two Australian pigeon species possess an erect crest, the Crested pigeon and the spinifex pigeon. The Crested pigeon is sometimes referred to as a Topknot pigeon, a common name shared with the reddish crested Lopholaimus antarcticus of Eastern Australia. Common names for the species, aside from crested or Topknot pigeon, characterize them as a 'bronzewing' or 'dove' that is likewise distinguished by the crest.

 

Population size

Unknown

Weight

147-250

goz

g oz 

Length

30-34

cminch

cm inch 

The Crested pigeon is grey with tinges of brown and green. It has a feathered but slender, black spike on top of the head. It runs with the crest erect. The periorbital skin is bright orange. Wings have black stripes and are bronzed, while the primary feathers have colorful areas of brown, purple, blue, and green. Immature birds have duller colors with no bronzing on the wings. The birds can be normally seen in two sizes, they can be thin or plumped. It is almost impossible to tell if a Crested pigeon is male or female because they have the same plumage.

Crested pigeons are found throughout mainland Australia except for the far northern tropical areas. They live in lightly wooded grasslands in both rural and urban areas, and can also visit watercourses, homestead gardens, grain farming areas, pastoral areas, sports grounds, and golf courses.

Crested pigeons are highly social birds and often gather in flocks of varying sizes. They are active during the day but prefer to forage in the morning and in the evening. They forage in small to large groups, which also gather to drink at waterholes. The most distinctive behavior of Crested pigeons is the beating and whistling sound their wings make when they take off. This is most likely to draw the attention of predators to birds on the wing, and away from any birds remaining on the ground, and as an alarm call to other pigeons. When the birds land, their tails tilt upwards and the flight patterns are similar to those of the Spotted turtle dove. If startled, Crested pigeons take to the air producing a distinctive whistling 'call'.

4-1-2016 HONG KONG - ZEBRA DOVE (Geopelia striata)

The zebra dove (Geopelia striata ), also known as the barred ground dove, or barred dove, is a species of bird of the dove family, Columbidae, native to Southeast Asia. They are small birds with a long tail, predominantly brownish-grey in colour with black-and-white barring. The species is known for its pleasant, soft, staccato cooing calls.

The birds are small and slender with a long, narrow tail. The upperparts are brownish-grey with black-and-white barring. The underparts are pinkish with black bars on the sides of the neck, breast and belly. The face is blue-grey with bare blue skin around the eyes. There are white tips to the tail feathers. Juveniles are duller and paler than the adults. They can also have brown feathers. Zebra doves are 20–23 centimetres in length with a wingspan of 24–26 cm.

Their call is a series of soft, staccato cooing notes. In Thailand and Indonesia, the birds are popular as pets because of their calls and cooing competitions are held to find the bird with the best voice. In Indonesia this bird is called perkutut. In the Philippines they are known as batobatong katigbe ("pebbled katigbe") and kurokutok ; in Malaysia this bird is called merbuk, onomatopoeic to their calls. They are also known as tukmo in Filipino, a name also given to the spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis ) and other wild doves.

The native range of the species extends from Southern Thailand, Tenasserim, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. It may also be native to Borneo, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, and the Philippine islands.

The zebra dove is popular in captivity and many populations have appeared outside its native range due to birds escaping or being deliberately released. It can now be found in central Thailand, Laos, Borneo, Sulawesi, Hawaii (introduced in 1922), Tahiti (1950), New Caledonia, the Seychelles, the Chagos Archipelago (1960), Mauritius (before 1768), Réunion, and Saint Helena.

It inhabits scrub, farmland, and open country in lowland areas and is commonly seen in parks and gardens. Trapping for the cagebird industry has led to them becoming rare in parts of Indonesia but in most parts of its range it is common. Zebra doves are among the most abundant birds in some places such as Hawaii and the Seychelles.

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - GREEN IMPERIAL PIGEON (Ducula aenea)

The green imperial pigeon is a large, plump pigeon, 45 centimetres (18 in) in length. Its back, wings and tail are metallic green. The head and underparts are white, apart from maroon undertail coverts. Sexes are similar. The bird's call is deep and resonant, and is often the first indication of the presence of this treetop species.

This is a forest species which is a widespread resident breeding bird in tropical southern Asia from Nepal and India east to Indonesia. It has several subspecies, including the distinctive Celebes form, chestnut-naped imperial pigeon (Ducula aenea paulina ).

This is an arboreal dove, feeding on plant material in the tree canopy. Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. It builds a stick nest in a tree and lays a single white egg. The birds are not very gregarious, but will form small flocks.

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - ASIAN EMERALD DOVE (Chalcophaps indica)

The common emerald dove is a stocky, medium-sized pigeon, typically 23–27 cm (9.1–10.6 in) in length. The back and wings are bright emerald green. The flight feathers and tail are blackish, and broad black and white bars show on the lower back in flight. The head and underparts are dark vinous pink, fading to greyish on the lower belly. The eyes are dark brown, the bill bright red and legs and feet rufous.The male has a white patch on the edge of the shoulders and a grey crown, which the female lacks. Females will tend to have a browner complexion with a grey mark on the shoulder. Immature birds resemble females but have brown scallops on their body and wing plumage.

Emerald doves usually occur singly, pairs or in small groups. They are quite terrestrial, often searching for fallen fruit on the ground and spending little time in trees except when roosting. They eat seeds and fruits of a wide variety of plants and are generally tame and approachable.Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. It often flies low between the patches of dense forest it prefers, but when disturbed will frequently walk away rather than fly. 

They are particularly good weavers when flying through forests. When flying they expose a buff underwing and a chestnut colour of their flight feathers.

The call is a low soft moaning cooing consisting of about six to seven coos starting quietly and rising. They also call a nasal "hoo-hoo-hoon". Males perform a bobbing dance during courtship. The population trend is downwards.

6-1-2016 HONG KONG - BALI MYNA (Leucopsar rothschildi)

The Bali myna (Leucopsar rothschildi ), also known as Rothschild's mynah, Bali starling, or Bali mynah, locally known as jalak Bali, is a medium-sized (up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long), stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes, greyish legs and a yellow bill. Both sexes are similar. It is critically endangered and in 2018, fewer than 100 adults were assumed to exist in the wild.

The Bali myna is a beautiful almost wholly white bird with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes, greyish legs, and a yellow bill. Both males and females are similar in appearance. The Bali myna is one of the rarest birds in the world. It is critically endangered and fewer than 50 adults are assumed to currently exist in the wild.

Bali mynas are native to the island of Bali (and its offshore islands) in Indonesia. They inhabit dry forest, shrubland, tree and palm savanna, and flooded savanna woodland. In the past, they also inhabited coconut groves near villages.

Bali mynas are diurnal but very secretive birds. In their natural habitat, they are inconspicuous. They use treetops for cover and usually come to the ground only to drink or to find nesting materials; this would seem to be an adaptation to their noticeability to predators when out in the open. Bali mynas often gather in groups when they are young to better locate food and watch out for predators. At night, they roost communally in small groups of up to 6 birds. These birds communicate with a variety of sharp chattering calls and an emphatic twat. When alarmed, they utter tschick, tschick, tschick.

Bali mynas are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds. The birds breed during the rainy season and at this time males attract females by calling loudly and bobbing up and down. Pairs nest in tree cavities lined with leaves and feathers. The female lays and incubates 2-3 eggs during the 12-15 days. The chicks are altricial; they are born helpless, naked, and blind. Both parents bring food to the nest for their chicks. The young usually fledge between 15 and 24 days, but still, depend on parents for food for a few weeks more. Reproductive maturity is usually reached at one year of age.

Bali mynas are critically endangered, and the wild population has been close to extinction since at least 1994. The main threat to these beautiful birds is poaching for the caged bird market. Trade even in captive-bred specimens is strictly regulated and birds are not generally available legally to private individuals. However, experienced aviculturists may become affiliated with captive-breeding programs, allowing them to legally keep mynas. The number of captive birds bought on the black market is estimated to be twice the number of legally acquired individuals in the captive breeding programs. Other important threats include habitat destruction, diseases, and natural predation.

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Bali myna population size is fewer than 50 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing. 

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - EURASIAN TREE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer montanus)

The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version of the adult. This sparrow breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow. Although several subspecies are recognised, the appearance of this bird varies little across its extensive range.

The Eurasian tree sparrow's untidy nest is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or the disused nest of a European magpie or white stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs which hatch in under two weeks. This sparrow feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. As with other small birds, infection by parasites and diseases, and predation by birds of prey take their toll, and the typical life span is about two years.

The Eurasian tree sparrow is widespread in the towns and cities of eastern Asia, but in Europe it is a bird of lightly wooded open countryside, with the house sparrow breeding in the more urban areas. The Eurasian tree sparrow's extensive range and large population ensure that it is not endangered globally, but there have been large declines in western European populations, in part due to changes in farming practices involving increased use of herbicides and loss of winter stubble fields. In eastern Asia and western Australia, this species is sometimes viewed as a pest, although it is also widely celebrated in oriental art.

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - ORIENTAL MAGPIE ROBIN (Copsychus saularis)

The Oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis ) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered an Old World flycatcher. These birds are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cagebirds.

The Oriental magpie-robin is 19 cm (7.5 in) long, including the long tail, which is usually held cocked upright when hopping on the ground. It is similar in shape to the smaller European robin, but is longer-tailed. The male has black upperparts, head, and throat apart from a white shoulder patch. The underparts and the sides of the long tail are white. Females are greyish black above and greyish white. Young birds have scaly brown upperparts and heads.

Oriental magpie-robins are resident breeders in tropical southern Asia from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and eastern Pakistan, eastern Indonesia, Thailand, south China, Malaysia, and Singapore. They inhabit open woodlands, mangroves, and cultivated areas often close to human habitations.

This magpie-robin is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and eastern Pakistan, eastern Indonesia, Thailand, south China, Malaysia, and Singapore.

The Oriental magpie-robin is found in open woodland and cultivated areas often close to human habitations.

Magpie-robins breed mainly from March to July in India and January to June in south-east Asia. Males sing from high perches during courtship. The display of the male involves puffing up the feathers, raising the bill, fanning the tail and strutting. They nest in tree hollows or niches in walls or building, often adopting nest boxes. They line the cavity with grass. The female is involved in most of the nest building, which happens about a week before the eggs are laid. Four or five eggs are laid at intervals of 24 hours and these are oval and usually pale blue green with brownish speckles that match the color of hay. The eggs are incubated by the female alone for 8 to 14 days. The nests are said to have a characteristic odour.

Females spend more effort on feeding the young than males. Males are quite aggressive in the breeding season and will defend their territory. They respond to the singing of intruders and even their reflections. Males spend more time on nest defense. Studies of the bird song show dialects with neighbours varying in their songs. The calls of many other species may be imitated as part of their song. This may indicate that birds disperse and are not philopatric. Females may sing briefly in the presence of a male. Apart from their song, they use a range of calls including territorial calls, emergence and roosting calls, threat calls, submissive calls, begging calls and distress calls. The typical mobbing calls is a harsh hissing krshhh.

26-11-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - WATTLED STARLING (Creatophora cinerea)

The Wattled Starling is foundover most of South Africa. It can be abundant in an area at times and absent at other times.

As far as Starlings go these are quite small. They are around 21 cm in length and weigh about 70 grams.

During the breeding season the male is quite spectacular with his yellow and black head with black wattles. Outside of the breeding season the male has a predomiantly white head with smaller wattles. The back of the female is brownish and she has white underparts.

The Wattled Starling is normally found in flocks and hundreds of them come together at night to roost communally.

These Starlings eat insects, worms, nectar and some fruit.

They may breed at any time during the year. Wattled Starling make untidy nests in bushes or trees and their would typically be nests from a couple of pairs. They lay between 2 and 5 eggs.

The wattled starling is 21 cm long, with a short tail and pointed wings. It has mainly grey plumage except for a white rump, and black flight feathers and tail. The breeding male has a white shoulder patch and a distinctive head pattern, with unfeathered yellow skin, and black forehead and throat wattles. The extent to which these seasonal features develop increases with the age of the bird and some old females may show a weaker version of this plumage.

The non-breeding male has a feathered head except for a small yellow patch behind the eye. There are no wattles, but there is a black moustachial stripe. The white shoulder patch is much reduced. The female and juvenile plumages are similar to the non-breeding male, but the flight feathers and tail are brown.

The black flight and tail feathers and white rump make this species unmistakable in flight.

This species has a range of wheezing or grating calls comparable to those of the common starling, but the most familiar is a wheezing ssreeeeo.

The wattled starling is a colonial breeder, and may share its colonies with the Cape weaver. It always nests in trees or bushes, including acacias and eucalyptus at between 1 and 10 m above the ground. The globular nest is made from twigs and lined with grass or feathers. The two to five, usually three or four, eggs are pale blue, immaculate or with some brown spots, and are laid before the dome of the nest is completed. Both sexes build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the young.

The eggs hatch after 11 days, and the chicks leave the nest in another 13–16 days. They cannot fly, and suffer heavy predation from large birds of prey.

Breeding is linked to an abundant insect supply, and colonies will be abandoned, even with chicks in the nest, if, for example, locust swarms are destroyed by control measures.

The wattled starling is highly gregarious and will form large flocks, often with other starlings. Its reedbed roosts, which can be huge, may also be shared.

Like other starlings, the wattled starling is an omnivore, taking a wide range of invertebrates seeds and berries, but its diet is mainly insects including many locusts, leading to the local name "locust bird".

It will scavenge at rubbish heaps, and frequently perches on livestock, feeding on insects disturbed by the animals and also removing ectoparasites.

The wattled starling (Creatophora cinerea) is a nomadic resident bird in eastern and southern Africa. It is a species of grassland, open woodland, and cultivation.

This is the only African starling that appears to show affinities with the Asian starlings, particularly the genus Sturnus. Its bare face patches and ability to open-bill feed in grassland are unique amongst African starlings. It is the only member of the genus Creatophora.

This common species appears to be extending its range into West Africa and has also occurred in Arabia, Madagascar, and Seychelles.The wattled starling is 21 cm long, with a short tail and pointed wings. It has mainly grey plumage except for a white rump, and black flight feathers and tail. The breeding male has a white shoulder patch and a distinctive head pattern, with unfeathered yellow skin, and black forehead and throat wattles. The extent to which these seasonal features develop increases with the age of the bird and some old females may show a weaker version of this plumage.

The non-breeding male has a feathered head except for a small yellow patch behind the eye. There are no wattles, but there is a black moustachial stripe. The white shoulder patch is much reduced. The female and juvenile plumages are similar to the non-breeding male, but the flight feathers and tail are brown.

The black flight and tail feathers and white rump make this species unmistakable in flight.

This species has a range of wheezing or grating calls comparable to those of the common starling, but the most familiar is a wheezing ssreeeeo.

26-11-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - VON DER DECKEN'S HORNBILL (Tockus deckeni)

Von der Decken's hornbill (Tockus deckeni) is a hornbill found in East Africa, especially to the east of the East African Rift, from Ethiopia south to Tanzania. It is found mainly in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. Jackson's hornbill is often treated as a subspecies of it. It was named after the German explorer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken (1833–1865).

This species is a small hornbill with blackish upperparts and mainly whitish underparts and head. It has a long tail and a long curved bill which lacks a casque. It is similar to the red-billed hornbill except for the bill colour and the lack of spotting on the wing coverts in both male and female.

The species shows sexual dimorphism; the female has a black bill, whereas the male has a red bill with a cream tip and a black cutting edge.

During incubation, the female lays two or three white eggs in a tree hole, which is blocked off with a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. There is only one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and chicks.

When the chicks and the female are too big for the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall. Then both parents feed the chicks.

Captive breeding can be achieved by providing a small barrel or hollow tree with an entrance hole 5 inches (13 cm) tall and 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide. The birds will block off the hole once the hen is ready.

Von der Decken's hornbill is omnivorous, taking insects, fruit and seeds. It feeds mainly on the ground and will form flocks outside the breeding season. In captivity, Von Der Decken's hornbill will readily eat papaya, cantaloupe, blueberries, bananas, and apples. Live food such as crickets and mealworms should also be offered daily. Small rodents are readily taken but should only be offered two or three times a week.

26-11-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - SCLATER'S CROWNED PIGEON (Goura sclaterii)

Sclater's crowned pigeon (Goura sclaterii) is a large, terrestrial pigeon confined to the southern lowland forests of New Guinea. This pigeon was previously considered as conspecific with Scheepmaker's crowned pigeon (Goura scheepmakeri) with the English name "southern crowned pigeon".

It has a bluish-grey plumage with elaborate blue lacy crests, red iris and very deep maroon breast. Both sexes have a similar appearance. It is 66–73 cm (26–29 in) in length and weighs 2.00–2.24 kg (4.41–4.94 lb).

Sclater's crowned pigeon was originally described by the Italian zoologist Tommaso Salvadori in 1876. He introduced the current binomial name Goura sclaterii. The specific epithet sclaterii was chosen to honour the English ornithologist Philip Sclater (1829–1913). A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that Sclater's crowned pigeon was most closely related to the western crowned pigeon (Goura cristata).

26-11-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - RAINBOW LORIKEET (Trichoglossus haematodus)

The Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. In many places, including campsites and suburban gardens, wild lorikeets are so used to humans that they can be hand-fed. The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland, Australia, is noted for its thousands of lorikeets. Around 8 am and 4 pm each day these colorful birds gather in a huge, noisy flock in the park's main area. Visitors are encouraged to feed them specially prepared nectar, and the birds will happily settle on people's arms and heads to consume it.

The Rainbow lorikeet is a medium-sized colorful parrot. Its head is deep blue with a greenish-yellow nuchal collar, and the rest of the upper parts (wings, back, and tail) are green. The chest is orange/yellow in color. The belly is deep blue, and the thighs and rump are green. In flight a yellow wing-bar contrasts clearly with the red underwing coverts. The males and the females in this species are similar in appearance and juveniles have a black beak, which gradually brightens to orange in the adults.

Rainbow lorikeets are found along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. They live in rainforests, mangroves, woodlands, coastal bushes, and in urban areas.

Rainbow lorikeets are social, active, and noisy birds. They often travel together in pairs and occasionally respond to calls to fly as a flock, then disperse again into pairs. They are territorial and each pair defends its feeding and nesting area aggressively against other Rainbow lorikeets and other bird species. They chase off not only smaller birds but also larger birds such as the Australian magpie. Rainbow lorikeets feed and roost in treetops and rarely come to the ground. They are very strong flyers and daily travel up to 30 km between feeding and roosting sites.

Rainbow lorikeets are herbivores (frugivores, palynivores, nectarivores) and feed mainly on fruit, pollen, and nectar from flowers. They also eat crops and are frequent visitors at bird feeders placed in gardens, which supply store-bought nectar, sunflower seeds, and fruits such as apples, grapes, and pears.

Rainbow lorikeets are monogamous and remain paired for long periods, if not for life. In southern Australia, breeding usually occurs from late winter to early summer (August to January). In other parts of Australia, breeding has been recorded every month except March, varying from region to region due to changes in food availability and climate. Rainbow lorikeets may nest in various sites including hollows of tall trees such as eucalyptus, palm trunks, or overhanging rock. Pairs sometimes nest in the same tree with other Rainbow lorikeet pairs or even other bird species. The female lays a clutch of between 1 and 3 eggs, which she incubates alone for around 25 days. The chicks hatch altricial (helpless) and are tended by both parents. They fledge at 56-64 days of age but continue to be fed by their parents for another 2-3 weeks. Rainbow lorikeets start to breed when they are 12-15 months old and may produce up to 3 broods per season.

26-11-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - SADDLE BILLED STORK (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)

The saddle-billed stork or saddlebill (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa. It is considered endangered in South Africa.

It is a close relative of the widespread Asian and Australian black-necked stork, the only other member of the genus Ephippiorhynchus.

This is a huge bird that regularly attains a height of 145 to 150 cm (4 ft 9 in to 4 ft 11 in), a length of 142 cm (4 ft 8 in) and a 2.4 to 2.7 m (7 ft 10 in to 8 ft 10 in) wingspan. While heights published have been in the aforementioned narrow range, reportedly adult saddle-billed storks in captivity can attain a height of up to 150 to 180 cm (4 ft 11 in to 5 ft 11 in). The male is larger and heavier than the female, with a range of 5.1–7.52 kg (11.2–16.6 lb), with a mean mass of 6.38 kg (14.1 lb). The female is usually between 5 and 6.84 kg (11.0 and 15.1 lb), with a mean mass of 5.95 kg (13.1 lb). Among the large storks, the saddle-billed broadly overlap in size with the two larger Leptoptilos and the Jabiru stork but possesses a longer, more slender neck and slightly longer legs than the other largest storks, so the saddle-billed is likely to be the tallest extant species of the family. Its extremely long legs measure up to 36.5 cm (14.4 in)) in tarsus length. The long bill measures from 27.3 to 36 cm (10.7 to 14.2 in). The sexes can be readily distinguished by the golden yellow irises of the female and the brown irises and dangling yellow wattles of the male. It is therefore one of the few storks to display sexual dimorphism in colour.

It is spectacularly plumaged; both the female and male appear identical when perched but the female shows much more white in the primaries in flight. The head, neck, back, wings, and tail are iridescent black, with the rest of the body and the primary flight feathers being white. Juveniles are browner grey in plumage. The massive bill is red with a black band and a yellow frontal shield (the "saddle"). The legs and feet are black with pink hocks. On the chest is a bare red patch of skin, whose colour darkens during breeding season.

They are silent except for bill-clattering at the nest. Like most storks, they fly with the neck outstretched, not retracted like a heron; in flight, the large heavy bill is kept drooping somewhat below belly height, giving these birds a distinctive appearance. This makes them easily recognizable, even if seen from a distance. It has been suggested that due to the large size and unusual appearance in flight, this species is the basis for the "big bird" and kongamato cryptids.

At the continental scale, saddle-billed storks preferred protected areas that have a higher extent of open water compared to areas without other storks. Some of these trends may, however, be due to a bias in coverage by ornithologists of safer areas such as national parks and protected swamps that afford easier accessibility and comforts.

The saddle-billed storks are solitary nesters, building massive nest platforms that are used repeatedly in successive seasons. Unlike many other storks, these species are often seen in pairs in the nonbreeding season suggesting a lifelong pair bond. They breed in forested wetlands and other floodplains in tropical lowlands. It builds a large, deep stick nest in a tree, laying one to five (typically two or three) white eggs weighing about 146 g (5.1 oz) each. The incubation period is 30–35 days, with another 70–100 days before the chicks fledge, with the young often remaining in the parents' territory until the next breeding season.

The saddle-billed stork searches for prey by stabbing the bill into the water, catching prey by contact, and in the same way into mud and vegetation. They usually feeds on aquatic prey such as fish lungfish (Protopterus spp.) and catfish (Clarias spp.), up to 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) in weight. It swallows the fish head first and then, drinks some water. In case of large fish prey, they are often taken to the shore where pectoral fins may be clipped off before the fish is swallowed head first. Saddle-billed storks opportunistically catch other prey such as frogs, snails, small mammals, birds, snakes, and insects such as grasshoppers, termites, and water beetles. In an unusual case, the saddle-billed stork killed and consumed a red-billed Duck (Anas erythrorhyncha) and an spitting cobra (Naja mossambica) respectively, and unsuccessful predatory attack on slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea) have been reported.

26-11-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - VIOLET BACKED STARLING (MALE) (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster)

The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), also known as the plum-coloured starling or amethyst starling, is a relatively small species (17 cm) of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is the only member of the genus Cinnyricinclus. This strongly sexually dimorphic species is found widely in the woodlands and savannah forest edges of mainland sub-Saharan Africa. It is rarely seen on the ground, but instead found in trees and other locations away from the ground.

The violet-backed starling is a sexually dimorphic species with adults reaching a length of about 18 cm (7 in). The male has an iridescent violet head and back and pure white underparts. The female has a thrush-like appearance with brown, boldly-streaked upper parts and white, heavily-streaked underparts. Both sexes have yellow irises and black bills and legs.

The violet-backed starling is a common bird in Sub-Saharan Africa, occurring in most locations with the exception of the dense rainforest of the Congo Basin, and the more arid parts of southwestern Africa. It is found in open woodland, gallery forests, forest verges and clearings. In the Chyulu Hills of Kenya, it occurs at altitudes up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft).

The diet of the violet-backed starling includes fruits, seeds and arthropods. It sometimes hawks for insects in a manner similar to flycatchers. It largely feeds in the canopy, seldom foraging on the ground. The nest is usually located in a crevice in a tree within a few metres of the ground. Nesting material includes green leaves and dung. The female will incubate the clutch of two to four eggs, which are pale blue with reddish/brown spots, for 12–14 days. The male will help feed chicks until they fledge after about 21 days.