• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Strange Mal. Night Heron Behavior !!! (1 Viewer)

kctsang

kctsang

Well-known member
We had observed the strange behaviour of a Malayan Night Heron at the Singapore Botanical Gardens in later December 2009.
*
"The bird was seen foraging, picked up some dead leaves and spitted them out. As it went about foraging, it suddenly stopped, raised its crest and lodged its lower mandible against the skin around the neck to widen its gape. It then shook its head left and right. The object appeared to remain lodged in its mouth and the heron went about foraging as if nothing happened.
*
"From the image attached, there appears to be an elongated darkish foreign object stuck in the mouth. Was the heron trying hard to dislodge the object from its mouth? Or was it casting a pellet? A dark elongated pellet?

"Any explanation or similar observation of this strange behaviour would be appreciated."
 

Attachments

  • Malayan Night Heron.jpg
    Malayan Night Heron.jpg
    179.3 KB · Views: 109
Looks to me like a small stick which somehow got accidently stuck into the fleshy part of the mouth. But, I’m no expert on such things & am just guessing.
 
Very interesting observation and a great photo to help! To me the bit about catching the lower mandible on its skin is the most interesting part.

Sorry I have no idea, but hope others will have something more to add.
 
kctsang said:
We had observed the strange behaviour of a Malayan Night Heron at the Singapore Botanical Gardens in later December 2009.
*
"The bird was seen foraging, picked up some dead leaves and spitted them out. As it went about foraging, it suddenly stopped, raised its crest and lodged its lower mandible against the skin around the neck to widen its gape. It then shook its head left and right. The object appeared to remain lodged in its mouth and the heron went about foraging as if nothing happened.
*
"From the image attached, there appears to be an elongated darkish foreign object stuck in the mouth. Was the heron trying hard to dislodge the object from its mouth? Or was it casting a pellet? A dark elongated pellet?

"Any explanation or similar observation of this strange behaviour would be appreciated."
Click to expand...

might be a freshly anchored leech?

in which case heron might be reacting to the initial bite by trying to reach it

and then giving up when it finds it can't reach
 
Agree with Ed, to me it´s a leech. Distinguishable is the fresh inflammation at the birds flesh. Seems to me that it was hidden under the leaves.
 
stonechat1 said:
Agree with Ed, to me it´s a leech. Distinguishable is the fresh inflammation at the birds flesh. Seems to me that it was hidden under the leaves.
Click to expand...

That's no leech!

I seem to remember a couple of years back seeing some discussion about how rarely birds are affected by leeches.

This looks more like a defensive spine from a fish (?).
 
Just a note. There are no leeches to be found in the jungles of Singapore, don't know the reason for it, maybe we do not have enough wild animals to keep them alive ???
 
stonechat1 said:
And how I can explain this for myself?

http://leech.com.sg/
Click to expand...


Opps !!! I need to clarify the leech situation in Singapore, yes we do have water leeches in one of our reservoirs, however as far as I know there are no land leeches in our jungle. On the link you posted, the website is self explanatory in that the leeches are breed for cosmetic and medical uses. So not the same as leeches found in the wild.

Cheers
 
One more thing, those leeches are breed in Malaysia, and not in Singapore if you read the website carefully.

Cheers !!!
 
Kctsang, I´m not a specialist on leeches nor on intervetebrates. Just interested on this poor herons case.

cit.:
The jungle leeches are more common in the humid forests of Southern Asia, India, Madagascar, Australia, and Indonesia than their aquatic cousins.

Terrestrial leeches are found only in such perpetually moist environments as tropical or temperate coastal rainforests, where they remain in leaf litter unless they are seeking a meal.

Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/hirudinea

Cheers ;)
 
kctsang said:
Just a note. There are no leeches to be found in the jungles of Singapore, don't know the reason for it, maybe we do not have enough wild animals to keep them alive ???
Click to expand...

Intriguing- I know pretty much nothing about leeches (as you probably guessed) but was just struck by the fact the "thing" looked attached and shrivelled. So my suggestion is probably completely wrong!

Mind you, wouldn't it be grand if you had captured an example of passive transport of a leech by a migratory bird -proven for aquatic leeches in nasal passages of waterfowl...
 
I must admit it looks more like a stick to me. Either way, stick or leech, it would be enough to make the bird try and dislodge it, which is what the original description sounds very like.
Chris
 
Ed, Stonechat,

KC is right for whatever reason there are seemingly no leeches in Singapore. You don't have to travel very far at all across the causeway into Malaysia to get bitten by any number of them but despite untold no of hours I've spent in the SG forests I've never seen one or heard of anyone else seeing one!

I remember many years ago in Thailand after walking out of the forest at khao sok covered covered in blood courtesy of leeches during the rainy season a ranger laughing at me and saying it was proof the forest was still healthy with many mammals. SG simply doesn't have many wild mammals left.
 
I see that this has gone up on the Bird Ecology Study Group's blog now. There are some interesting comments about how unique the behavior in this photo is, and more analysis on what the thing in his mouth is. See here for more.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 14 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

A
Birding Ecuador, August 2017
Replies
1
Views
3K
root
R
R
Laem pak Bia and Pak Tale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Replies
0
Views
1K
robby thai
R
Tri-Counties Birder
Scottish Highlands and beyond...
Replies
7
Views
3K
Tri-Counties Birder
Tri-Counties Birder
P
The Gambia 25/01/2011 - 2/02/2011
Replies
15
Views
15K
Dave Williams
D
DMW
Sabah, Borneo
Replies
4
Views
4K
Larry Sweetland
Larry Sweetland

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top