You might have heard the cacophony of bird calls coming from the tall trees that tower over the bustling lighted up streets of Orchard road at dusk. Or maybe even seen some majestic wings in the sky upon looking up from your room’s window.
What are these birds? Crows? Eagles? Let’s find out!
In this article, we are going to introduce to you some of the common urban birds in Singapore that you can often see and hear outside your window.
Did you know that Singapore has 414 species of birds¹? Putting aside our mild distaste when we see them infiltrating our hawker centres, or leaving unsightly droppings on our cars, birds play essential ecological roles in maintaining a healthy ecosystem in Singapore.
- They act as pollinators
- Natural pest-control
- They fill our public spaces with their melodious songs which are important markers of the health of the environment.
The author of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, drew reference to a spring where no birds can be heard to symbolise a ruined ecosystem. This revolutionary book highlighted, for the first time, how humans have been destroying the environment and was one of the early driving forces of the environmental movement.
Nonetheless, some birds in Singapore are considered pests. You might be familiar with the House Crow (Corvus splendens) – full black birds whose loud caws pierce through the silence of your neighbourhood. They thrive in urban environments; their sheer number, aggressiveness and intelligence cause them to leave messy droppings, steal food, and even attack people.
(You can check out NEA’s advisory on House Crows here.)
Fortunately, the house crow population in Singapore has been controlled by the introduction of the Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus). This bird looks similar to the house crow, save for its yellow beak and red eyes. The best way to identify the Asian Koel is using its unique call², which you might have been annoyed by in the wee hours of the morning.
The koel slows down the growth of the house crow population by laying their eggs in the nests of crows and tricking the crows into raising the young koels. Baby koels will push the crow eggs out of the nest when they hatch. This phenomenon is known as “brood parasitism”. Hopefully, their contribution to pest control in Singapore slightly placates your irritation caused by their annoying calls. Koels are also mainly frugivores (their diet consists of only fruits), which makes them very important seed dispersal animals in Singapore.
(Extra: Watch a funny video of Elsa from Frozen being possessed by a Koel here.)
Other common birds with a black plumage are the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus). These birds have some white streaks below their wings and have more pleasant singsong calls compared to the Koel and the Crow.
Contrary to their names, the Javan Myna is actually more common than the Common Myna in Singapore. You can distinguish between the two by the yellow ring around the Common Myna’s eyes.
The cutest variety of common birds you see around is probably the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus). Its brown and white patterns are easily distinguishable from other common birds. These birds feed on seeds, some fruits and berries, and insects. They are also nearer to the bottom of the bird food chain in Singapore, serving as sustenance to larger birds such as eagles.
Fun fact: If you are a fan of the Demon Slayer series, Zenitsu’s sparrow looks just like the Eurasian Tree Sparrow!
Now, moving on to some common birds that are more colourful. The Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) has bright yellow plumage with black stripes and can often be seen in urban residential areas. There is even a street in Singapore that is named after it, called Oriole Crescent!
Have you seen hummingbirds before in Singapore? If you think you have, you were probably mistaken because Singapore in fact does not have hummingbirds. Its look-alike is actually the sunbird. In Singapore, the Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) is one of the most common sunbirds you can see flitting around.
Olive-backed Sunbirds are sexually dimorphic – the male and female have physical features that are distinctly different from each other. Female Olive-backed Sunbirds are yellow while males have beautiful blue feathers at their throats. These birds have curved beaks and a tubular tongue³ which they use to reach for nectar in flowers. While feeding on nectar, sunbirds are also excellent pollinators for flowering plants in Singapore.
Did you know that Singapore’s unofficial national bird⁵ is also a sunbird? The Crimson Sunbird’s (Aethopyga siparaja) bright red plumage is sure worthy of being our country’s representative bird.
Lastly, let’s look at the Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus), a common resident of parks and gardens which people tend to confuse with the domestic chicken. It is an understandable mix-up, because the Jungefowl is actually the ancestor of domestic chickens.
Males are a beautiful hue of red, orange and blue with a red crown, while females are brown. Due to the loss of habitat (scrub, forest and mangroves), the Red Junglefowl population in Singapore is actually declining and considered to be nationally endangered⁶. Their occupancy in green spaces near residential areas resulted in complaints about noise and fear of disease. As a result, the Red Junglefowl and its free-roaming chicken counterparts are increasingly being relocated or culled⁷.
The rapid urbanisation in Singapore has seen birds adapting to our infrastructure and coexisting with humans. These common birds in Singapore may sometimes pose as nuisances in our daily lives, but their roles are indispensable in our ecosystem. Hopefully, you have gained some new-found appreciation for these birds. So the next time you’re taking a stroll outside, open your eyes and listen closely – you might just be able to identify some of these common feather friends!