3-12-2016 MONTE CORONA, ADOR - EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rubecula)

Population size

130-201 Mlnlnn

Life Span

1-19 years

Weight

16-22

goz

g oz 

Length

12.5-14

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

20-22

cminch

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small insectivorous passerine bird. The term robin is also applied to some birds in other families with red or orange breasts. These include the American robin (Turdus migratorius ), a thrush, and the Australasian robins of the family Petroicidae.

The male and female European robins are similar in coloration, with an orange breast and face lined with grey, brown upperparts, and a whitish belly. The bill and eyes are black. Juveniles are spotted brown and white in coloration, with patches of orange gradually appearing.

European robins occur in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria, and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the Central Group of the Azores and Madeira. Irish and British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters. European robins prefer spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with their preference for parks and gardens in Ireland and Great Britain. These may also be found in grasslands, shrubby vegetation, hedgerows with some tall trees, orchards, and farmlands.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - LUZON BLEEDING HEART DOVE (Gallicolumba luzonica) COURTESY VALERIE FISHER

The Luzon bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba luzonica ) is one of a number of species of ground dove in the genus Gallicolumba that are called "bleeding-hearts". The native name in Tagalog is punay. It is also known as paloma de punalada 'stabbed pigeon'. The Luzon Bleeding-heart is the species in which the "blood" feature is most pronounced, with the reddish hue extending down the belly, furthering the illusion of blood having run down the bird's breast.

The genus Gallicolumba has a number of species known as "bleeding-hearts", ground doves that get this name due to a splash of bright red in the middle of their white breast. Luzon bleeding-hearts are among these, their species is the one where the color is most vivid, making it look as though it has been wounded. Males and females look very similar, though females are duller overall, and their red breast patch is smaller and paler.

This bird is endemic to the island of Luzon and two other islands in northern Philippines. Here there are many populations that are isolated, and on the island of Polillo, a very small population was recently rediscovered, and on Catanduanes only one specimen has been found. This species lives in lowland forest and the majority of the time it feeds on the forest floor. These birds nest and roost in trees of low to medium height, shrubbery and vines.

Luzon bleeding-hearts are very secretive and shy casual foragers, turning over soil by flicking their bill as they walk along. To wash down its food, this bird drinks once a day or more. When it flies, this is usually to a nesting site with its mate or in a small flock to find water. This species usually roosts in shrubs and low trees at night. Highly territorial, males defend their area, first by making warning calls, then, if necessary, fighting to the death. If confronted by a bird of prey that is larger, the Luzon bleeding-heart makes a grunting, gasping or panting sound. It then flies a little way, lands and continues to escape by running. The Luzon bleeding-heart’s call is a single ‘coooooo’, rising slightly in pitch in the middle. Typically these birds are very secretive and nearly silent.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - LESSER BIRD OF PARADISE (MALE) (Paradisaea minor) COURTESY OF VALERIE FISHER

The lesser bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea minor ) is a bird-of-paradise in the genus Paradisaea.

The lesser bird-of-paradise is medium-sized, up to 32 cm-long, maroon-brown with a yellow crown and brownish-yellow upper back. The male has a dark emerald-green throat, a pair of long tail-wires and is adorned with ornamental flank plumes which are deep yellow at their base and fade outwards into white. The female is a maroon bird with a dark-brown head and whitish underparts. Further study is required, but it seems likely that birds-of-paradise also possess toxins in their skins, derived from their insect prey.

It resembles the larger greater bird-of-paradise, but the male of that species has a dark chest, whereas the female is entirely brown (no whitish underparts).

The males are polygamous, and perform courtship displays in leks. The female usually lays two pinkish eggs with dark markings in a nest in a tree high above ground. Its diet consists mainly of fruits and insects.

A large bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge. Both sexes have yellow back and yellow eye. Male has a chestnut breast and white and yellow plumes which he raises above his back during his display, in which he flaps his chestnut wings. The male is distinguished from Greater by his yellow back and Emperor by his brown chest. Females distinguished from other species by their white underparts and black hood. Male gives a typical, repeated, nasal squawk.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - BLUE GREY TANAGER (Thraupis episcopus) PHOTO COURTESY OF VALERIE FISHER

The blue-gray tanager (Thraupis episcopus ) is a medium-sized South American songbird of the tanager family, Thraupidae. Its range is from Mexico south to northeast Bolivia and northern Brazil, all of the Amazon Basin, except the very south. It has been introduced to Lima (Peru). On Trinidad and Tobago, this bird is called blue jean.

The blue-gray tanager is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) long and weighs 30–40 g (1.1–1.4 oz). Adults have a light bluish head and underparts, with darker blue upperparts and a shoulder patch colored a different hue of blue. The bill is short and quite thick. Sexes are similar, but the immature is much duller in plumage.

The song is a squeaky twittering, interspersed with tseee and tsuup call notes.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - NANKEEN NIGHT HERON (Nycticorax caledonicus) COURTESY OF VALERIE FISHER

The nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus ) is a heron that belongs to the genus Nycticorax and the family Ardeidae. Due to its distinctive reddish-brown colour, it is also commonly referred to as the rufous night heron. It is primarily nocturnal and is observed in a broad range of habitats, including forests, meadows, shores, reefs, marshes, grasslands, and swamps. The species is 55 to 65 cm in length, with rich cinnamon upperparts and white underparts. The nankeen night heron has a stable population size, and is classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The term nankeen in the common name of the species is defined as ‘a type of pale-yellow cotton cloth, originally from China’ in the Cambridge Dictionary. The term originates from the city of Nanjing, which is where the material was first made. In the alternative name of the species, rufous night heron, the word rufous refers to a reddish-brown colour and more accurately describes the colour of the bird's plumage. This name is widely used in regions such as New Guinea and Wallacea.

The name of the species’ genus, Nycticorax, means ‘night raven’, and is derived from the Ancient Greek words nuktos, meaning night, and korax, meaning raven. The term comes from the primarily nocturnal feeding behaviour of the birds in the genus, as well as from their crow-like croaking call, such as that of the nankeen night heron.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - HAWAIIAN GOOSE (Branta sandvicensis)

The Hawaiian goose or the nene (Branta sandvicensis ) is the world's rarest goose. It is thought that the nene evolved from the Canada goose, which most likely arrived on the Hawaiian islands about 500,000 years ago, shortly after the island of Hawaiʻi was formed.

Adult male Hawaiian geese have a black head and hindneck, buff cheeks, and heavily furrowed neck. The neck has black and white diagonal stripes. Aside from being smaller, the female is similar to the male in coloration. The adult's bill, legs, and feet are black. It has soft feathers under its chin. Goslings resemble adults but are a duller brown and with less demarcation between the colors of the head and neck, and striping and barring effects are much reduced.

Native to the Hawaiian Islands, the Hawaiian goose today is found most commonly in Hawaii, in and around the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and on Maui in Haleakala National Park. A large and increasing population also lives on Kauai Island, and the animal has recently been reintroduced on Molokai Island. They don't migrate and inhabit various habitats, including scrub forests, grasslands, volcanic slopes with sparse vegetation, coastal dunes, and lava plains, and related anthropogenic habitats such as pasture and golf courses. Some populations migrated between lowland breeding grounds and montane foraging areas.

Hawaiian geese are diurnal birds. They sleep on the ground with their feet tucked under their bodies. They live in family groups that consist of a mating pair and their young. Hawaiian geese may live in flocks of as many as 30 birds, some groups being more loosely formed than others. Dominance ranking depends on the family unit’s size. Males defend against other geese the territory that immediately surrounds their nests and families. Hawaiian geese spend most of their time on the ground but they are capable of flight, with some individuals flying daily between nesting and feeding areas. They do swim, mostly in ponds and lakes. They spread the oil, using their beak, from their oil gland onto their feathers to waterproof them.

Hawaiian geese are monogamous, forming life-long pair bonds. From August through April is the breeding season, peaking from October to March. These birds nest in solitary pairs and the nest is built by the female, being a shallow scrape in the ground, lined with vegetation and down, usually sheltered by tussock grass or rock. The same site is often reused year after year by the same pair. 2-5 creamy white eggs are laid, and the female incubates them for about one month. The goslings are precocial and can feed themselves, but usually remain with their parents for one year. They fledge at around 10-12 weeks old, and around 2-3 years old they become reproductively mature.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - RED & YELLOW BARBET (Trachyphonus erythrocephalus)

The red-and-yellow barbet (Trachyphonus erythrocephalus ) is a species of African barbet found in eastern Africa. Males have distinctive black (spotted white), red, and yellow plumage; females and juveniles are similar, but less brightly colored. The species lives in broken terrain and nests and roosts in burrows. Omnivorous, the species feeds on seeds, fruit, and invertebrates. Where not hunted, they are tame, but their feathers are used by certain tribes, such as the Maasai.

Red-and-yellow barbet adult males have distinctive plumage made up black with spotted white, red and yellow. It has a black forehead and crown with a slight crest. The nape is orange and red with black spots. The side of the neck is red, going into yellow. The back is mostly black with white spots. The tail is a blackish brown with up to eight cream spots forming bars. The under side of the tail is yellow with black bars. The chin and throat are yellow, and there is a black patch at the centre of the throat. The throat is bordered by areas with more orange areas. The breast is orange to red-orange, becoming more yellow at the sides, with a dark band with white spots crossing through the middle. The lower breast and belly are yellow. The wings are black with brown wing feathers. All feathers on the wing have white spots, giving a spotted or banded appearance. The long beak is typically red. The skin around the eyes is a dark grey or black, while the eyes themselves can be a yellow brown, a dark brown, a red brown or a shade in between. The legs are a blue-grey, and the feet are the same colour.

The female is similar to the male, but is, overall, much duller, with less red and orange, and more yellow and white. Specifically, females lack the throat patch, and typically lack the crown. Young birds are also duller- they typically have less red and orange, as with the female. The spots on the back are less white, and all blacks are more brown. The eyes are typically grey.

The nominate subspecies, T. e. erythrocephalus, is found from central Kenya to north-east Tanzania. T. e. versicolor is found in southeast South Sudan, northeast Uganda, southwest Ethiopia and north Kenya. T. e. shelleyi is found in Somalia and eastern Ethiopia.

The species avoids both very open areas and areas of dense woodland, instead preferring broken terrain such as riverbeds and cliffs or termite mounds. It nests and roosts in tunnels, and forages on or close to the ground.

2-5-2016 BARCELONA - RED FOOTED FALCON (Falco vespertinus)

The red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus), formerly the western red-footed falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting. It is migratory, wintering in Africa. It is a regular wanderer to western Europe, and in August 2004 a red-footed falcon was found in North America for the first time on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

It is a medium-small, long-winged species. The adult male is all blue-grey, except for his red undertail and legs; its underwings are uniformly grey. The female has a grey back and wings, orange head and underparts, and a white face with black eye stripe and moustaches.

Young birds are brown above and buff below with dark streaks, and a face pattern like the female. Red-footed falcons are 28–34 cm (11–13 in) in length with a wingspan of 65–75 cm (26–30 in). The average mass is 155 g (5.5 oz).

 

23-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - BLACK DRONGO (Dicrurus macrocercus)

Black drongos breed mainly in February and March in southern India, and until August in other parts of the country. Males and females sing in the mornings during the breeding season. Courtship can include aerobatic chases and they may lock their wings and beaks together, with the pair sometimes falling to the ground. Displays may be made on the ground. Pair bonds are retained for a whole breeding season. The nest is a cup made with a thin layer of sticks placed in the fork of branch, and is built in a week by both the male and female. Eggs are laid close to the first rains in April. The usual clutch is three or rarely four eggs laid in a cup nest placed in the fork of an outer branch of tree. Large leafy trees such as the jackfruit are preferred. The eggs are pale cream to red with spots and markings and are 26 mm (1.0 in) long and 19 mm (0.75 in) wide. The eggs are incubated by both parents and hatch after 14 to 15 days. Nestlings are brooded for the first five days, after which the young are capable of maintaining a fairly constant body temperature. A second clutch may be laid if the first is destroyed. Nests are sometimes built in telephone poles. A nesting territory of 0.003 to 0.012 km2 (0.3 to 1.2 hectares) is maintained.

15-11-2016 BAGAN, MYANMAR - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

The Little egret (Egretta garzetta) is small elegant heron in the family Ardeidae. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. At one time common in Western Europe, the Little heron was hunted extensively in the 19th century to provide plumes for the decoration of hats and became locally extinct in Northwestern Europe and scarce in the south. Around 1950, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and their numbers began to increase.

The plumage of the Little egret is normally entirely white, although there are dark forms with largely bluish-grey plumage. In the breeding season, the adult has two long plumes on the nape that form a crest. These plumes are about 150 mm (6 in) and are pointed and very narrow. There are similar feathers on the breast, but the barbs are more widely spread. 

There are also several elongated scapular feathers that have long loose barbs and may be 200 mm (8 in) long. During the winter the plumage is similar but the scapulars are shorter and more normal in appearance. The bill is long and slender and it and the lores are black. There is an area of greenish-grey bare skin at the base of the lower mandible and around the eye which has a yellow iris. The legs are black and the feet yellow. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have greenish-black legs and duller yellow feet, and may have a certain proportion of greyish or brownish feathers. The subspecies nigripes differs in having yellow skin between the bill and eye, and blackish feet. During the height of courtship, the lores turn red and the feet of the yellow-footed races turn red.

16-11-2016 SALAY, MYANMAR - WHITE THROATED BABBLER (Turdoides gularis)

The white-throated babbler (Argya gularis ) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.It is endemic to Myanmar.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Turdoides but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Argya.

Rich chestnut-brown babbler with a bright white throat and chest. Inhabits dry scrubby areas, often fairly close to human habitation. Like other babblers, fairly social, gathering in small bands; birds often give a fairly high-pitched rolling chatter as they forage together.

Although this species may have a restricted range, it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

15-11-2016 BAGAN, MYANMAR - ANGLED CASTOR BUTTERFLY (Ariadne ariadne)

Ariadne ariadne, the angled castor, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in Asia.

This butterfly is orange brown with wavy lines running across. The margin is somewhat wavy and appearing truncated at the apex of the forewing. The margin is wavy with a large angle present on the fifth vein interspace and at the tip of vein three. The tornus is broadly angulate. The hindwing termen is deeply scalloped. There is a prominent white spot towards the apex of the forewing. The cilia are white, alternated with brown. On the underside there is more brown.

Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen ochraceous rufous. Males have a series of dark shining scales (androconia) on the subcostal vein, veins 6 and 7 and a patch on the underside of the forewing towards the base. Females look similar but are slightly paler and lacking the androconial scales.

Ariadne ariadne bears much resemblance to Ariadne merione, the common castor, but in the angled castor, the transverse chestnut bands are narrower and less diffuse. The margins of the common castor are less wavy.

The castor plant (Ricinus communis) is the most common host and gives the butterfly its name. Other hosts include Tragia cannabina, Tragia hispida, Tragia plukenetii and Tragia involucrata.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - BLUE BREASTED KINGFISHER (Halcyon malimbica)

The blue-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica) is a tree kingfisher widely distributed across Equatorial Africa. This kingfisher is essentially resident, but retreats from drier savanna areas to wetter habitats in the dry season.

This is a large kingfisher, 25 cm in length. The adult has a bright blue head, back, wing panel and tail. Its underparts are white, but it has a blue breast band. The shoulders are black. The flight of the blue-breasted kingfisher is rapid and direct. The large bill has a red upper mandible and black lower mandible. The legs are bright red.

Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults. The call of this noisy kingfisher is a whistled pu-pu-pu-pu-ku-ku-ku-ku.

The blue-breasted kingfisher is a species of a variety of well-wooded habitats. It perches quietly in deep shade whilst seeking food. It is territorial but wary. This species mainly hunts large insects, arthropods, fish and frogs, but will also eat the fruit of the Oil Palm.

It has a striking display in which the wings are spread to show the white linings. The nest is a hole in a tree termite nest. A single clutch of two round white eggs is typical.

The blue-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica ) is a tree kingfisher widely distributed across Equatorial Africa. This kingfisher is essentially resident, but retreats from drier savanna areas to wetter habitats in the dry season.

This is a large kingfisher, 25 cm in length. The adult has a bright blue head, back, wing panel and tail. Its underparts are white, but it has a blue breast band. The shoulders are black. The flight of the blue-breasted kingfisher is rapid and direct. The large bill has a red upper mandible and black lower mandible. The legs are bright red.

Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults. The call of this noisy kingfisher is a whistled pu-pu-pu-pu-ku-ku-ku-ku.

The blue-breasted kingfisher is a species of a variety of well-wooded habitats. It perches quietly in deep shade whilst seeking food. It is territorial but wary. This species mainly hunts large insects, arthropods, fish and frogs, but will also eat the fruit of the Oil Palm.

It has a striking display in which the wings are spread to show the white linings. The nest is a hole in a tree termite nest. A single clutch of two round white eggs is typical.

15-11-2016 BAGAN, MYANMAR - WHITE THROATED BABBLER (Turdoides gularis)

The white-throated babbler (Argya gularis ) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.It is endemic to Myanmar.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Turdoides but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Argya.

Rich chestnut-brown babbler with a bright white throat and chest. Inhabits dry scrubby areas, often fairly close to human habitation. Like other babblers, fairly social, gathering in small bands; birds often give a fairly high-pitched rolling chatter as they forage together.

The White-throated Babbler is known for its unique and complex vocalizations, capable of imitating other bird species and even mimicking human speech.

15-11-2016 BAGAN, MYANMAR - PLAIN TIGER BUTTERFLY (Danaus chrysippus)

Danaus chrysippus, also known as the plain tiger, African queen, or African monarch, is a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia, Australia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. Danainae primarily consume plants in the genus Asclepias, more commonly called milkweed. Milkweed contains toxic compounds, cardenolides, which are often consumed and stored by many butterflies. Because of their emetic properties, the plain tiger is unpalatable to most predators. As a result, its colouration is widely mimicked by other species of butterflies. The plain tiger inhabits a wide variety of habitats, although it is less likely to thrive in jungle-like conditions and is most often found in drier, wide-open areas.

The plain tiger is believed to be one of the first butterflies depicted in art. A 3,500-year-old ancient Egyptian fresco in Luxor features the oldest known illustration of this species.

The plain tiger is found across the entirety of Africa, where the predominant subspecies is D. c. alcippus. Its range extends across the majority of Asia throughout Indian subcontinent, as well as many south Pacific islands. The plain tiger is even present in parts of Australia. D. c. chrysippus is most common throughout Asia and in some select regions in Africa, while D. c. orientis is present in more tropical African regions as well as some African islands, including Madagascar and the Seychelles.It is also found in Southern Europe and Kuwait. These insects are considered bioinvaders in North America.

The plain tiger prefers arid, open areas, and is found in a variety of habitats, including deserts, mountains, deciduous forests, and human-tended gardens in cities and parks. It is comfortable at altitudes ranging from sea level to around 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

29-11-2016 GARDENS BY THE BAY, SINGAPORE - 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.

Population size

Unknown

Life Span

10-15 years

Weight

31-42

goz

g oz 

Length

19

cminch

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.

These birds live singly, in pairs, or in small family groups. They are often active late at dusk mostly seen close to the ground, hopping along branches or foraging in leaf litter with a cocked tail. Sometimes they bathe in rainwater collected on the leaves of a tree. To communicate with each other Oriental magpie-robins use beautiful songs and a range of other calls including territorial calls, emergence, and roosting calls, threat calls, submissive calls, begging calls, and distress calls. The typical mobbing call of these birds is a harsh hissing ‘krshhh’.

Oriental magpie-robins are carnivores (insectivores) and their diet includes mainly insects and other invertebrates. They will occasionally take flower nectar, geckos, leeches, centipedes, and even fish.

Oriental magpie-robins breed mainly from March to July in India and January to June in south-east Asia. Males are quite aggressive during this time and defend their territory; they respond to the singing of intruders and even their reflections. 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. Oriental magpie-robins nest in tree hollows or niches in walls or buildings, 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. She then lay 4 to 5 eggs 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. Both parents take part in raising their chicks which remain in the territory until the next breeding season.

The main threats to Oriental magpie-robins include poaching for the pet bird trade, habitat changes, and competition from introduced Common mynas.

According to IUCN Red List, the Oriental magpie-robin is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. The national population sizes have been estimated at around 10,000-1,000,000 breeding pairs in China and less than 10,000 introduced breeding pairs in Taiwan. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable.

29-11-2016 SINGAPORE - OLIVE BACKED SUNBIRD (FEMALE) (Cinnyris jugularis)

The olive-backed sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis ), also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird, is a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia.

The olive-backed sunbird is common across southern China and Southeast Asia to Queensland and the Solomon Islands. Originally from mangrove habitat, the olive-backed sunbird has adapted well to humans, and is now common even in fairly densely populated areas, even forming their nests in human dwellings.

The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering, but usually perch to feed most of the time.

The birds mate between the months of April and August in the Northern Hemisphere, and between August and January in the Southern Hemisphere. Both the male and the female assist in building the nest which is flask-shaped, with an overhanging porch at the entrance, and a trail of hanging material at the bottom end.

After building the nest, the birds abandon the nest for about a week before the female returns to lay one or two greenish-blue eggs. The eggs take 2 weeks to hatch. The female may leave the nest for short periods during the day during incubation. After the chicks have hatched, both male and female assist in the care of the young, which leave the nest about two or three weeks later.

The Olive-backed Sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis, also known as Yellow-bellied Sunbird and formerly Nectarinia jugularis, is an Asian sunbird.

The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings.

The Olive-backed Sunbird is common across southern China to the Philippines and Malaysia down to northeast Australia.

Originally from mangrove habitat, the Olive-backed sunbird has adapted well to humans, and is now common even in fairly densely populated areas, even forming their nests in human dwellings.

29-11-2016 SINGAPORE - ASIAN WATER MONITOR (Varanus salvator ssp. salvator)

The Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) is a large varanid lizard native to South and Southeast Asia. It is one of the most common monitor lizards in Asia and is among the largest squamates in the world.

The bodies of Asian water monitors are muscular, with long, powerful, laterally compressed tails. Water monitors are often defined by their dark brown or blackish coloration with yellow spots found on their underside - these yellow markings have a tendency to disappear gradually with age. This species is also denoted by the blackish band with yellow edges extending back from each eye. These monitors have very long necks and elongated snouts. They use their powerful jaws, serrated teeth, and sharp claws for both predation and defense.

Asian water monitors are widely distributed from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, the Chinese Guangxi and Hainan provinces, Malaysia, and Singapore to the Sunda islands Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo, and Sulawesi. They inhabit a variety of natural habitats though predominantly these lizards reside in primary forests and mangrove swamps. They may also thrive in agricultural areas as well as cities with canal systems. Habitats that are considered to be most important to this species are mangrove vegetation, swamps, and wetlands.

Asian water monitors are semiaquatic; they are excellent swimmers, using the raised fin on their tails to steer through water. They are diurnal creatures. During the night or when just resting monitors hide in trees, under bushes, large roots, or cavities in between rocks. They also make their burrows which often lie close to the river or stream and are partially flooded. Asian water monitors defend themselves using their tails, claws, and jaws. When hunted by predators such as the King cobra they will climb trees using their powerful legs and claws. If this evasion is not enough to escape danger, they may jump from trees into streams for safety.

The possibility of venom in the genus Varanus is widely debated. Previously, venom was thought to be unique to Serpentes (snakes) and Heloderma (venomous lizards). The aftereffects of a Varanus bite were thought to be due to oral bacteria alone, but recent studies have shown venom glands are likely to be present in the mouths of several, if not all, of the species. The venom may be used as a defensive mechanism to fend off predators, to help digest food, to sustain oral hygiene, and possibly to help in capturing and killing prey.

Asian water monitors are carnivores and consume a wide range of prey. They eat fish, frogs, rodents, birds, crabs, and snakes. They have also been known to eat turtles, as well as young crocodiles and crocodile eggs. Water monitors will also often eat carrion. They have a keen sense of smell and can smell a carcass from far away.

Asian water monitors breed from April until October. Females lay their eggs a month after mating usually in rotting logs or tree stumps. A clutch usually contains about 10-40 eggs which are incubated during 6-7 months. The young are fully developed and independent at birth. Males become reproductively mature when they are about 1 m in size and females are reproductively mature at about 50 cm.