Singapore’s urban and green environment is home to a rich abundance of magnificent wildlife that we don’t often see. In our Wildlife Around Singapore series, we share some interesting flora and fauna that have been observed around the island.
Not one, but two species of vultures spotted
Bird watchers were very excited on December 29 as rare avian visitors made their way to Singapore in the form of five Himalayan Griffon Vultures as well as a solitary Monk Vulture.
It’s the first recorded appearance of the monk vulture in Singapore. It is distinguished from the Himalayan vulture by its two-tone beak and dark-colored head.
Himalayan vultures mainly live in the Himalayan mountains, but are known to disperse to places in Southeast Asia.
The monk vulture, also known as the monk vulture or black vulture, is found throughout Eurasia.
These two species of vultures are among the largest flying birds, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 to 3 m.
Here are the raptors that hang out in Singapore’s Botanic Gardens, with the Himalayans apparently accepting the cinereous as one of their own:
According to Internet users, ornithologists the monk vulture then crashed in mid-flight, probably from exhaustion and hunger after days of travel before reaching Singapore. He was rescued by the Animal and Veterinary Service and brought to Jurong Bird Park to receive the care he needed.
White-bellied sea eagles grab it
While vultures are rare visitors to Singapore, our island is home to various native birds of prey, one of which is the white-bellied eagle. These eagles are known to live in places like Pasir Ris Park and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
A juvenile male white-bellied eagle and an adult female were recently spotted mating at Pasir Ris Park.
Peregrine Falcon in Sengkang
A peregrine falcon was sighted in Sengkang around Anchorvale Lane, Block 535 in late December.
The peregrine falcon is the most widespread bird of prey in the world, being commonly found in most parts of the world, including urban areas. It is also the fastest bird in the world, capable of reaching speeds of over 320 km / h when it dives towards its prey.
First record of greylag pigeon in Singapore
The Singapore Birds Records Committee, a team of civilian birding enthusiasts, recently took place on December 25 officially recorded the first appearance of the green greylag pigeon in Singapore.
The pigeon in question had been sighted in the Central Watershed Nature Reserve in October, but the committee had to undertake an analysis to exclude other species of green pigeons in order to confirm that this was the first sighting of a wild green pigeon with a ash head here. . Factors considered by the committee included the color and condition of the bird’s plumage, whether the species is known to travel long distances in the wild and whether it was a wild animal. company escaped.
A kingfisher catches a lizard
A netizen shared this photo in the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group of a white-throated kingfisher in Pasir Ris Park with his big catch – a shifting lizard.
Blue-tailed bee-eaters in Seletar
There is a population of blue-tailed bee-eaters around Seletar Aerospace Park which often provides striking images to photographers like these when they catch bugs:
Bees around Singapore
We promised birds and bees in this article – you didn’t think we were done after showing you white-bellied eagles procreating, did you?
Here are literal bees seen around Singapore:
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