Egrets

Scientific Name: Egretta alba

Range: North and South America, Africa - south of the Sahara, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Habitat: Wetlands, both inland and on coasts or estuaries.

Diet: Fish, water-living invertebrates, small mammals and insects.

Social structure: Lives in breeding colonies.

Life Span: Oldest record is 22 years!

Conservation/status: Widespread but in steady decline in most of its range.

Remarks: Hunted extensively in the 19th-century for its feathers to make egret-plume hats. Now a protected species but the newly recovered population is currently suffering from pollution, habitat loss and disturbance. The egret's yellow beak is known to turn black when the bird is ready to breed. The bird's feathery cloak of delicate white plumes is most brilliant during the breeding season. 

Scientific Name: Ardeola ibis

Range: Central and Southern Africa, southern Europe. In recent years, its range has extended to Central and South America, and the southern states of USA, Hawaii and even Asia. Introduced to Australia and New Zealand.  

Habitat: Not just restricted to the wetlands. Also found in pastures and open fields, as well as on the banks of rivers, dams and lakes. Commonly seen in fields with grazing cattle, or in open fields that are being mowed by tractors.

Diet: Insects, frogs, lizards, birds and small mammals. 

Social structure: Sociable, will roost in large  numbers, even when it is not during the breeding season.

Life Span: Oldest record is 13 years!

Conservation/status: The egret's range has extended in the last century and its numbers do not seem threatened. In Singapore, it is quite common.

Remarks: The non-breeding plumage is white, with yellow bill and legs. Pink or orangey feathers appear on the crown, back and chest and bill darkens to red during the breeding season. Well known as a bird that often follows the path of grazing livestock or wild hoofstock so as to feed on insects that are fleeing from the 'stomping hooves'. In Singapore, they follow behind the grass-mowing tractors in open fields.

Herons

Scientific Name: Nycticorax nycticorax

Range: North and South America, Eurasia, and many parts of Africa.

Habitat: Wetlands, especially where there are dense thickets of vegetation on the banks of rivers, ponds and streams. Also found along the coastal estuaries, tidal creeks and lagoons. 

Diet: Fish, aquatic insects and frogs.

Social structure: Sociable, nests and roosts and breeds in large colonies.

Life Span: Up to 16 years.

Conservation/status: Well established throughout its range. A highly adaptable bird, not endangered elsewhere but is threatened in Singapore due to shortage of suitable habitats.

Remarks: The heron's green legs turn into a bright yellow or pinkish red color during the breeding season. During this period, the black feathers on the head and back also emit a bluish-green gloss.

Ducks

(info and photo will be uploaded when available)

Scientific Name: Tadorna radjah

Range: Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Habitat: Coastal marshes, lagoons and swamps. They prefer large areas of shallow brackish or saline water.

Diet: Mollusks, insects, aquatic plants and algae.

Social structure: Usually seen in pairs or in small flocks.

Life Span: Oldest record is 28 years!

Conservation/status: Not globally threatened, but is unusually vulnerable to hunting, and is now rare or absent in areas of Australia. More effective protection from hunting will need to be established to prevent a serious decline in the populations.

Remarks: Being slow in flight, these ducks are easy to shoot and populations have declined due to hunting. The ducks are nocturnal and they roost in high trees during the day. They also pair for life. When feeding, the ducks forage on land or in shallow water, dabbling or grazing, singly in small groups. They may trample on the ground to bring worms to the surface

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Radjah Shelduck

Scientific Name: Dendrocygna javanica)

Range: S

Habitat: C

Diet: A

Social structure: W

Conservation/status: T

Remarks: T

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Other birds

Scientific Name: Threskiornis aethiopicus

Range: In Africa - mainly inland and close to water. In Australia - commonly found along coastal wetlands. 

Habitat: Muddy shores and swamps.

Diet: Invertebrates, reptiles, fish, eggs, nestlings, carrion and offal.

Social structure: Sociable, feeds during the day. 

Life Span: Oldest record is more than 21 years!

Conservation/status: Became extinct in Egypt during the 19th-century. It has survived elsewhere by adapting to a variety of habitats, and is common within its present range. 

Remarks: The head and neck are feathered for the first two years, and featherless in adulthood. The sacred ibis was once worshipped by ancient Egyptians as Thoth, the scribe of all gods and the patron of all scribes. Thoth was also the inventer of the spoken and written form of ancient Egyptian language. He was also credited for inventing astronomy, geometry and medicine. The bird was regarded as a symbol of wisdom and learning because it always looks downwards and has a beak that is shaped like a pen.

Scientific Name: Platalea leucorodia

Range: Southeastern  Europe, India, Central and Southern Russia. 

Habitat: Coastal lagoons, estuaries, shallow lakes and reed marshes.

Diet: Aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollucs and fish.  

Social structure: Wader, often colonial and migrant.

Life Span: Oldest record is 28 years!

Conservation/status: Threatened by drainage of breeding and feeding sites, as well as pollution of wetlands.

Remarks: The spoonbill uses its unique and highly specialised bill to sweep the water for fish and aquatic insects.

(photo will be uploaded when available)

Scientific Name: Pavo cristatus

Range: India and Sri Lanka. 

Habitat: Spends the day on the ground among dense thickets, and returns to the trees to roost at dusk. As it ascends the tree, a loud screeching call is often heard.

Diet: Grain, seeds, berries, insects, snakes, mice.

Social structure: Small social groups of 1 male with  2-3 hens.

Conservation/status: The peacock in general is revered and protected by law in its native habitat. It is also the national bird of India. Commonly bred and kept as an ornamental bird throughout the world, hence in little danger of extinction. 

Remarks: White peacocks and peahens are the result of recessive genes. In the wild, their chances of survival are slim as their distinct whiteness makes it easy for predators to spot them. They are mostly bred and kept in captivity for their unique color. Indians believe the call of the peacock means that there will be rain. The Peacock (male) has an average of 200 feathers in his long tail. The peacock tends to strut up and down during his display because he needs to keep his balance as the winds would catch his enormous fan. The export of peacock tail feathers from India is now illegal.

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Blue Peacocks of India

Scientific Name: Vanellus malarbaricus

Range: India.

Habitat: O

Diet: I

Social structure: F

Life Span: A

Conservation/status: N

Remarks: M

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Plovers of the World