Sunbirds: Singapore’s hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are marvels of nature. I find them fascinating even though I’ve never seen them up close. And they don’t exist in Singapore, or anywhere outside the Americas really :(
But it’s not all that bad — we’ve got sunbirds! These are brightly-coloured little fellas who, like hummingbirds, feed on nectar. The more common species seen here are:
- Ornate Sunbird
- Brown-throated Sunbird
- Crimson Sunbird (Singapore’s unofficial national bird)
- Copper-throated Sunbird
Of these the ones that I see most often, and hence cumulatively have brought me the most joy are the Ornate sunbirds. When I hear their calls nearby, I smile and look around to see if I can spot them. Here’s one (credit to Zahidi Hamid, Singapore Bird Project)
Singapore might be a concrete jungle but there is nature to be found all around, if you only care to look.