Thailand History Guide » Bird

Bird’s Nest Soup (A Soup Tonic)

thailandhistoryguide — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:57:26 +0000

Bird’s nest soup made with traditional ingredients has long been used as a tonic in Chinese medicine, and 10 protect the body against various ailments. Recent research on the nutritional value of birds’ nest has shown the presence of a soluble glycoprotein Ihal may promote growth, tissue repair and cell division within the immune system.

Bird's Nest Soup Ingredient

Bird's Nest Soup

Building the Birds’ Nest

thailandhistoryguide — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:46:17 +0000

The bird makes chewing and retching movements of the bill and throat, as the saliva is regurgitated and worked around the mouth. Saliva is smeared on the edge of the nest with the sides of the bill. The nest takes shape as a pad of hardened saliva adhering to the wall. Subsequently a rim is added and material is laid down in layers until a small cup-shaped nest is finally formed.

Building the Birds' Nest

Caves

thailandhistoryguide — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:42:45 +0000

Besides the swiftlets, an interacting community of animals known as troglodytes may be found in the caves. Bats are abundant. Both bats and swiftlets produce guano, which is fed upon by insects such as moths and cockroaches. These insects in turn provide food for other predalors such as bugs, centipedes and geckos. The mosl common predators of the swiftlets and their nestlings are the snakes. hawks and eagles that hunt in the surrounding areas, and the eggeating crickets.

Cricket

Bat Hawk

Caves

Collecting Birds’ Nests

thailandhistoryguide — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:29:50 +0000

In Thailand this is carried out between February and July. Three collections are made each breeding season. Birds’ nests are usually found in the lofty and dark interiors of caves. The nest collector, armed with a small torchlight and rope, stealthily climbs up the bamboo still that leads him to the nest.

Collection Bird's Nests Tools

Collecting Birds' Nests

Birds’ Nests of Southern Thailand

thailandhistoryguide — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:07:15 +0000

Thailand is one of the major producers of edible birds’ nests, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine dating as far back as the Ming and Qing dynasties of the 17th century. The swiftlets (nok kin lom) nest in caves along the southwestern coast and on the offshore islands. They find their way by echolocation. A series of up to 20 audible clicks per second is emitted and the echoes reflecting off the walls enable the birds to maneuver in the darkness. Already an expensive delicacy, these birds’ nests could become more expensive as overcollection threatens the normal cycle of nest building.

Birds of Southern Thailand

Type of Birds’ Nests

The black nest swiftlet (Aerodramus maximus) uses its black feathers to build nests, hence the name “black nest.” In contrast, the white nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) builds its nest wholly with saliva.

Birds

Birds' Nests

Grades of Birds’ Nests

The price of edible birds’ nests varies according to their quality. White nests, wholly made of saliva, are more expensive. The best birds’ nests are the first ones built during the breeding season. Thicker and translucent white, they expand to almost 20 times their volume upon soaking. Second and third nests are of lower grade, appearing dirtier and thinner.

Color and Quality of Birds’ Nests

Some supposedly high-quality nests are reddish. However, the coloration bears no relation to blood and may have leached into the nest from the substrate.

Birds' Nests

Comb Duck

thailandhistoryguide — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:40:54 +0000

The comb duck is a frequent visitor to ricefields and it nests on the edges of wooded marshland. It Oies with broad wing beats.

Comb Duck

Egrets and Herons

thailandhistoryguide — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:39:15 +0000

The rich aquatic and terrestrial life of the ricefields attracts large numbers of herons and egrets in all seasons. Although egrets and herons usually feed alone, they often roost together, which probably assists in detecting predators.

Herons

Egret

Bird of the Ricefields

thailandhistoryguide — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:30:49 +0000

The ricefields provide a rich feeding haven for a variety of birds. Some of the most common of these are the munias, a group of small, seed-eating birds that feed on ripening rice. These, in turn, attract aerial predators such as the black-shouldered kite and marsh harrier, which may also feed on amphibians such as frogs.

Birds of the Ricefields

Bird Species

thailandhistoryguide — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:56:42 +0000

The collared kingfisher (1), gray heron (2) and little cormorant (3) are bird species common in the coastal swamps and mud flats.

Bird of Mangroves Forests

Sun Birds

thailandhistoryguide — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:53:26 +0000

In their search for nectar, sunbirds carry pollinia from flower to flower thus acting as pollinating agents.

Sun Birds

Brown Throated Sunbird

thailandhistoryguide — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:21:07 +0000

Among the many resident bird species that inhabit the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR), the sunbirds possess one of the most brilliantly coloured plumage. The bright colours are found only on the adult males with the females and young males clad mainly in varying hues of olive, green and yellow. Belonging to the family Nectariniidae, sunbirds are distributed from Africa to Asia and Australia. In Singapore, six species of sunbirds occur, of which four have been recorded at SBWR. That is about 4% of the total sunbird species worldwide. Of the four species, the most abundant at SBWR is the Brown-throated, also known as the Plain-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis). The Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) is the next most numerous followed by the Copper-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia calcostetha) and the Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja).

Sunbirds are essentially nectar feeders, but they are also known to take small insects. Superficially resembling the well-known hummingbirds of Central and South America, sunbirds however have strong feet and legs and have short rounded wings. Sunbirds have relatively long, slender decurved bills that enable them to probe into suitable flowers for nectar.

Their nests are unusual. Generally pear-shaped, globular or oval and composed of grass, fibres and cobwebs, they are usually suspended from the ends of terminal twigs. Clutches of two eggs is typical.

The survival of sunbirds has been monitored at SBWR through ringing studies. Although very small and active, sunbirds are known to have long lives in the wild. For example, the Brown-throated Sunbird, has been known to live for at least 61 months (5 years) in SBWR while studies in other localities have revealed lives exceeding 12 years! For the other species, SBWR has recorded (between ringing and subsequent capture) durations of 60 months (5 years) for the Olive-backed Sunbird and 61 months (5 years) for the Copper-throated Sunbird.

The Copper-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia calcostetha) is one of the more interesting species. Found only in South-east Asia, they live within the mangrove forest. They are one of the few bird species that are global mangrove specialists. Nesting on mangrove trees like Avicennia alba they feed from the flowers of mangroves like the Bruguiera gymnorhiza. Males have iridescent coppery red throats with iridescent green on the crown, shoulder and uppertail. Females have white throats and are mostly decorated in grey and yellow. They are sexually dimorphic with adult males being about 10% longer and 20% heavier than adult females. Nests have been seen in the reserve between April and August and it has been known to nest from January to September in other localities.

Perhaps the most abundant sunbird at the wetland, the Brown-throated Sunbird, can be seen in all areas of SBWR. It is also the largest sunbird species in SBWR (and Singapore). Weighing in at a maximum of 14.0g, males are generally larger than females especially in terms of body length. Possessing reddish eyes (iris) when they are adults (the other three species have dark brown eyes), they have olive brown eyes as juveniles.

What about the smallest sunbird species in SBWR? Either the Crimson Sunbird or the Olive-backed Sunbird qualifies. These two species also share a common characteristic that is the exhibition of an eclipse plumage in the males. This is essentially a short-term post-breeding plumage. Whatever the plumage type, the adult male Crimson Sunbird appears like a tiny red dot amongst the vegetation. It weighs about 7.0g (about the weight of a 50 cent coin) with females being slightly lighter. The females have the dubious honour of having perhaps the dullest plumage of any sunbird in the region with only dull olive and yellow to adorn herself.

The Olive-backed Sunbird is more abundant than the Crimson Sunbird. Many of them can be seen flitting among the flowering trees at the Visitor Centre complex especially on sunny days.

There is no doubt that the sunbirds as a group add life, colour and sound to the green vegetation in SBWR and Singapore in general. Generally, to attract and encourage sunbird populations to increase, it is important to cater to their food and nest requirements. Suitable free flowering trees and plants provide abundant nectar as food. Many types of trees may also be used as nest sites while grass patches serve to provide building material for the nest. SBWR has taken these measures and the population of sunbirds at the site serve as an indicator of the success of these measures. More studies await those interested in understanding especially the population dynamics, species interactions and carrying capacities of these sunbirds at SBWR.

Brown Throated Sunbird

Thailand History Guide » Bird

Bird’s Nest Soup (A Soup Tonic)

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Building the Birds’ Nest

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Caves

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Birds’ Nests of Southern Thailand

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Comb Duck

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