Acrobats of the garden

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TWO relatively little birds swooped and twirled, navigating the looping branches of the hibiscus; a short breather and then they were off again.

THE HUNTER: A Pied Fantail perches in a tree. — Photo by Vincent Wong

This aerial display of precision flying could have inspired pilots and engineers as the low-level flying speedy bird performed sharp turns and cartwheels.

What species of garden bird sets these acrobatic standards? The Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica).

In Malay, this active bird is called Murai Gila or crazy thrush. However, the Pied Fantail has purpose in its madness, which when we look at more closely is not madness at all, but hunting techniques.

This bird – a member of the Fantail Flycatcher family, Rhipiduridae, which includes 44 species, three of which are found in Borneo – is a hunter.

The precision flying enables this bird of gardens, open countryside, secondary and mangrove forests, to snatch insects in flight.

Most prey are small flying ones such as flies and mosquitoes, but larger prey such as dragonflies are also caught. Larger prey will be knocked against a branch to subdue it. This bird hunts close to the ground.

The Pied Fantail uses a couple of strategies to flush out its prey and these have also contributed to its reputation of being mad. The restless bird hops up and down on branches, fanning its recognisable black and white fan-shaped tail in order to startle insects into flight.

Another technique used, referred to as ‘static searching’, is to perch in the bushes on the lookout for prey, then chasing it down.

The relatively small black and white Pied Fantails is 15 to 18 centimetres long. Its black, white-tipped fan-shaped tail edge is a distinguishing feature. A black collar at the throat highlights the otherwise white breast. The flat triangular bill, which has several hairs at it base, has evolved to catch flying insects.

Pied Fantails become very territorial when nesting and during this time they have been observed ferociously defending their home ground.

The small cup-shaped nest, which is made from a variety of materials including twigs and grass, is woven together with spider web silk and probably the silk from the pupae of insects undergoing their final stage of metamorphosis. This well-made, hidden nest, which can be established in the crooks of tree branches or in shrubbery or even at eye-level, takes about 10 days to construct. Generally two brown-spotted cream coloured eggs are laid and the male and female parents care for the young.

Although these lively little birds are not endangered, they should still be valued. Not only do they act as natural mosquito controllers, they add a dash of excitement to the garden with their ‘crazy’ dashing here and there.

As they are found in secondary forest and gardens, all that is needed are shrubs and short trees for them to perch in, to build nests and to wait for unsuspecting insects.

For more information read Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo.

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