Grey-headed Fish Eagles

The Grey-headed Fish Eagles are easy to spot, once you know the spot from which they swoop down and hunt their favourite fish meal along the numerous canals in Singapore. You just have to out-last them, as they wait patiently on the branch, sometimes for hours before hunger takes the better of them, and they go on a hunting spree.

With a huge splash, the Grey-headed Eagle will dive claws fully out-stretched, and grab their prey. After many unsuccessful tries, it will eventually catch its prey. Then it's game over as it flies away to enjoy a much-deserved feast.

Crested Goshawk

The Crested Goshawk is the only resident accipiter species found in Singapore. It is also the largest and inhabits areas in the forest edge. For a season, a pair was spotted along the wooded area around Pasir Ris Park, just beside Sungei Api-api.

With an abundance of rats, bats, chicks and other prey, the pair can be seen hunting and then bringing it to feed their fast-growing hatchlings.

Rusty-breasted Cuckoo

This is a native species and is commonly found in the Thai-Malay Peninsula all the way to the Lesser Sundas, Sulewesi and south-western parts of the Philippines. The bird can be heard from far away with its instinctive call. Finding and catching sight of it is another matter altogether.

With a bit of luck and patience, this Rusty-breasted Cuckoo was spotted and photographed floricking along a stretch of lightly-forested area just in front of the toilet aorund the Changi Bay Point area.

Pin-Tailed Whydahs

Pin-tailed Whydahs have been seen and recorded in Singapore since 1986. It is a wonder how these exoctic birds landed here. They certainly are not able to fly here from their natural habitat in sub-Saharan Africa! So most probablt they have been introduced here either accidentally or deliberately. Nevertheless they have been able to strive here, especially in the northern-eastern coastal regions around Lorong Halus, Punggol Barat and more recently at Changi Bay Point, just opposite the Changi Exhibition Centre.

These birds are around 12cm but at breeding season, the male will grow a set of four long tails measuring around 20cm long. It is a sight to behold, watching the male perform its mating dance around the female. Sometimes this ritual will last for hours at end and over the course of many days before the actual mating occurs.

And when that happens, it just takes a few seconds and it's all over!