Sunbird NewsArticles on rec.birds about the sunbirds, and correspondence arising from them.Subject: What Tropical Bird is This?? Date: Mon, 01 Jun 1998 22:17:19 +0800 From: Michael Hartley <cuthere.hartley-m@usa.net.cuthere> Newsgroups: rec.birds Hi! I'm an Aussie working in Malaysia - I have edited my email address to avoid junkmail - hope that's not a problem... Specifically, I am living in the Klang valley (near Kuala Lumpur), in Peninsular Malaysia. I live in a 2 story house, and was delighted to discover, 3 weeks ago, that a pair of birds had decided to build their nest on my balcony, hanging from my clothesline. The birds are small, smaller than a swallow. They have a yellow belly, and a dark greenish brown back and wings. They have a longish slightly curved beak, and I have confirmed that they eat from flowers, since I saw them in a feeding in a nearby bush. The head of the male is darker than that of the female, and he seems slightly smaller. The area is semi-urban. The nest is like a rounded bottle, about foot or two from the clothesline to the bottom. It is made of twigs, feathers, nylon, discarded tissues, used cigarette packaging, and old paint chips. These are very modern birds, obviously. The pair of birds took about 4-5 days to build the nest, and only worked during the day. They don't seem very afraid of me, so by moving carefully, I can still hang out my clothes, or take photos. After they had finished building, they mated, and then disappeared for about a week. I was afraid they had abandoned the nest, until the mother came back. Since then, she has been sitting in the nest all night every night. During the day, she leaves her nest from time to time. A week after she started sitting, I snuck out with a torch one time when she was absent. I wanted to see inside the nest, to see how small the eggs were. To my shock, my torchlight was greeted by a pink squirming blob at the bottom of the nest. It appears the egg(s) have hatched! I am looking forward to taking more photos, and if I get time, I will put the best shots onto my web page. But what is the name of the bird? Can anyone tell me more about them??? Yours, Mike H...
Subject: Re: What Tropical Bird is This??
Michael Hartley asked about a bird he has observed in Malaysia: [snip] The area is semi-urban. The nest is like a rounded bottle, about foot or two from the clothesline to the bottom. It is made of twigs, feathers, nylon, discarded tissues, used cigarette packaging, and old paint chips. These are very modern birds, obviously. The pair of birds took about 4-5 days to build the nest, and only worked during the day. They don't seem very afraid of me, so by moving carefully, I can still hang out my clothes, or take photos. Yours, Mike H... Recently I found a Trip Report about Malaysia. I sent the description of the birds you are wondering about to the folks who wrote the report. They think it might be either an Olive-backed Sunbird or a Brown-throated Sunbird. I've only been able to find a picture online of the Olive-backed variety. It does seem to match your description (I think). Haven't found any information on it as yet. See if you think the bird in the watercolour is similar to the one you are trying to learn about. It is at: http://www.penang.insights.com.my/home/choo/choo3c.htm [MH : link broken] Best wishes,
Subject: Re: What Tropical Bird is This??
Concerning the mystery bird in Malaysia: I would also guess that your bird is the olive backed sunbird, which would make it the same sunbird (I think) that occurs on the North East coast of Australia. In the Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Simpson and Day, it is called the Yellow-bellied Sunbird and I believe that is the same one (Nectarinia Jugularis) that I saw in Thailand and it was called the Olive backed sunbird in the Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand. Phyllis Wilburn
Subject: Re: What Tropical Bird is This??
Abirder wrote: [Walks of humming under breath, "Nectarinia Jugularis, Nectarinia Jugularis, Nectarinia Jugularis...] Eric Hocking "A closed mouth gathers no feet" == Melbourne, Australia == http://www.ozemail.com.au/~ehocking
Subject: Re: sunbirds
Pete Meisenheimer wrote: The description is consistent with this being some kind of sunbird. Olive-backed sunbirds will frequent urban areas and conform generally with your description. What colour is the male's throat? International Marine Mammal Association http://www.imma.org Subject: Re: sunbirds
The throat and upper breast should be metallic blue in good light and a close-up view, but will look black in poor light, or at a distance. The habits and nest description make it unlikely to be anything else, based on your description. The same species (Nectarina Jugularis) goes by the name yellow-bellied sunbird in Australia. They are lovely little birds. International Marine Mammal Association http://www.imma.org
Subject: Re: sunbirds
Pete Meisenheimer wrote: What colour is the male's throat? Thanks for your email - I haven't checked the newsgroup yet, I'll have to do that forthwith... I hope someone has put the scientific name there... Would you like me to let you know when (or should I say if?) I get some photos of the birds onto my website? International Marine Mammal Association http://www.imma.org Yours, Mike H...
Subject: Re: sunbirds
No problem with brevity. I sent you an e-mail with a brief description and the scientific name. I will copy it below, in case you did not get it. I would be interested in having a look when you post it on your site. Alternatively, if you want me to have a look at it, attach the photo image file to an e-mail and I can view it here. JPEG format would be fine. I am a fisheries biologist by training, and my work involves ecological issues relating to marine fisheries and their ecological interactions with marine mammals. Birds are a hobby I got into while working in Africa some years ago. My job involves a lot of travel to out-of-the-way corners, so it is a great way to unwind in the field. The closest I've been to your part of the world is Thailand, with Australia a not very close second. I have seen Nectarina Jugularis in Australia. MESSAGE SENT PREVIOUSLY The throat and upper breast should be metallic blue in good light and a close-up view, but will look black in poor light, or at a distance. The habits and nest description make it unlikely to be anything else, based on your description. The same species (Nectarina Jugularis) goes by the name yellow-bellied sunbird in Australia. They are lovely little birds. Peter Meisenheimer
Subject: Re: Tropical bird?
Harry Dodsworth wrote: Are you planning to stay in Malaysia for some time, and, if so, are you interested in buying a field guide? Yes, I'll probably be in Malaysia for quite a while, but actually I'm more a general nature lover than specifically a bird lover, so I wouldn't get to use a field guide so much... A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia by King, Woodcock and Dickinson published by Collins. London, 1983 printing, Card covers VG condition except one back page is filled with signatures (probably members of a birding trip) Unfortunately it weighs just over 500g (which doubles the postage) By the way, the book has a picture of the Olive-backed sunbird which some people have suggested as your bird; it agrees with your description. Yours, Mike H...
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