Mark your calendars!
GET READY FOR THE 2012 SURVEY!
If you’re new to MYGB and haven’t quite figured out what you need to do for the survey, join us for a guided session on the 19 May (Sat) & 27 May (Sun) 2012 at the Lake Gardens in Kuala Lumpur from 8am to 10am. To register/for more information, email chirp@mygardenbirdwatch.com.
See you there!
I have red eyes and I am not a crow
Very often, we are drawn to the presence of birds by their distinct, territorial songs and alarm calls. Most of us in Malaysia will be very familiar with a loud and piercing bird call, koel-koel….persistently uttered over long periods of time. This is the territorial call of the Asian Koel, a rather large, parasitic cuckoo with a long broad-ended tail, heavy pale greenish bill and red iris. One often cannot fail to sometimes see it in flight with its long tail and rapid flapping of the wings. Sexes differ. The male is overall glossy black while the female is dark brown (paler below) with bold, buff-coloured spots and streaks, the tail marked with narrow rufous bars.
Usually solitary, it forages in the crowns of trees, keeping to dense foliage and is seldom observed. Will sometimes come out and call in the open. It feeds mainly on insects but will also take the fruit of the McArthur palm, a popular ornamental plant throughout much of urban Malaysia. It inhabits mangroves, scrub, plantations, reed beds, besides wooded gardens in towns and cities. It is very vocal, especially during breeding, and has a repertoire of other calls, which include a harsh rising kwok-kwok-kwok-kwok… and also a high-pitched kik-kik-kik-kik… which is also uttered in flight.
The Asian Koel is a common and widespread resident, passage migrant and winter visitor principally at low elevations, throughout Peninsular Malaysia. In Sarawak, and Sabah, it is rarer. Migratory populations occur above 900 m only during autumn and spring passage. This cuckoo specially parasitizes crows and in Malaysia, it is a known brood parasite of both the House and Large-billed Crows. The female deposits its eggs into the nest of the House Crow and the egg incubation as well as the subsequent care of the young will be carried out by the House Crow. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was very rare in Kuala Lumpur but since the 1980s, has become very common, presumably because of the expanding range of the House Crow.
The truth about house crows
To most people living in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, the House Crow is a very familiar sight. One cannot fail to notice flocks commuting between roosting and feeding sites or individuals foraging around human habitations in towns and cities. The House Crow is a native of the Indian subcontinent (including Sri Lanka), Myanmar and central Thailand. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, especially during the colonial era in the early part of the twentieth century....
Read more...
2011's Top Three
Three very commonly encountered birds in Malaysia are the Rock Pigeon, Common Myna, and Eurasian Tree Sparrow. One cannot fail to notice these within the vicinity of human dwellings in both urban and rural areas.
A frequently seen bird, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus ranges from Europe, temperate Asia and the Himalayas through South-east Asia to Sulawesi and the Lesser Sundas. This species was able to take advantage of new open habitats, feeding largely on grass seeds. In Sarawak and Sabah, populations are feral, having been established from shipborne specimens....
Read more...
No easy street for garden birds
Malaysia’s 700 species of wild birds are found in various natural habitat types throughout the country. Each species occupies a specific ecological niche within this mosaic of habitat types. A resident bird species occupies a certain niche for two reasons, that is, to feed and to breed. In this respect, there must be a constant supply of food as well as suitable nesting sites to ensure its survival. With man altering the landscape for economic reasons, new habitat types such as open country and artificial wetlands were eventually created....
Read more...
Allen Jeyarajasingam is a passionate birder and the author of ‘A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.’ The widely anticipated second edition of the guide will be in stores soon.
