Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Dicaeum (a supposed bird mentioned by Aelianus) cruentatum ("blood-stained")

Adult male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (subspecies D. c. ignitum) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Dicaeum cruentatum ignitum
Weight: 7-8g  /  Length: 9cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Scarlet-backed flowerpecker is a small bird with striking black white and red plumage in the males.  The females are a lot less notable, with an drab olive-grey type coloration with mere streaks of the bright scarlet.  My views of this bird were distant and brief, but judging from my own views and those of other pictures online, they seem to have a talent for going for fruits that are far larger than they look like they should be able to carry!

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Dicaeidae
Genus: Dicaeum
SUBSPECIES: D. c. cruentatum, D. c. ignitum, D. c. sumatranum, D. c. batuense, D. c. simalurense, D. c. niasense, D. c. nigrimentum

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - A fairly common resident

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Seen at  Bishan Park and Sungei Buloh

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Oriental Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus)

OTHER NAMES: Crested Honey Buzzard
Latin Etymology: Pernis (a hawk mentioned by Aristotle) ptilorhynchus ("feather bill") 

Juvenile dark morph Oriental Honey Buzzard (unknown subspecies) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Unknown, migrant ranges overlap in Singapore; probably orientalis
Weight: 750g-1.5kg  /  Length: 52-68cm  /  Wingspan: 150-170cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

While it's European counterpart has long eluded me, the Oriental Honey Buzzard has turned out a little easier to catch up with, 3 birds in quick succession passed over me unexpectedly in a park in Singapore, with a 4th bird later perching up briefly when we visited the Gardens by the Bay.  The Honey Buzzard complex are specialist feeders on wasp larvae, although they will take other prey.  They are also notable for having plumage that mimicks stronger, more, aggressive raptors, which acts as a deterent from being attacked.  Despite the alternate name of Crested Honey Buzzard, half the subspecies of this bird don't actually have crests.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Pernis
SUBSPECIES: P. p. orientalis, P. p. ruficollis, P. p. torquatus, P. p. ptilorhynchus, P. p. palawanensis, P. p. philippensis

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - A reasonably common passage migrant and Winter visitor

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Three over Bishan Park and one over Gardens by the Bay

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Amaurornis ("dusky brown bird") phoenicurus ("crimson tailed")

Adult White-breasted Waterhen (subspecies A. p. phoenicurus) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Amaurornis phoenicurus phoenicurus
Weight: 165-325g  /  Length: 28-33cm  /  Wingspan: 49cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The White-breasted Waterhen is the commonest member of the rail family over a lot of it's range; a dweller of leafy pools and lakes that has found itself well adapted to take advantage of urban parks.  If anything, the relative absence of duck species in Singapore and Malaysia has in places allowed it to become the default fairly tame waterbird more so than in Europe - I encountered them in several places walking around at people's feet looking for scraps.

Related Species:
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Amaurornis
Subspecies: A. p. phoenicurus, A. p. insularis, A. p. midnicobarica, A. p. leucomelana

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - A common resident of ponds and small lakes.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Common at Bishan Park and Sungei Buloh

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Gallus ("rooster") gallus ("rooster")

Adult male Red Junglefowl (subspecies G. g. gallus) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Gallus gallus gallus
Weight: 2.6kg  /  Length: 41-78cm  /  Wingspan: 38-51cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Red Junglefowl is the ancestor of that most ubiquitous of domestic birds: the chicken.  A native of South East Asia, it's domestication by humanity took place at least 5000 years ago and the domestic form has subsequently practically spread everywhere that humanity has.  The wild population however remains alive and well in South East Asia, and indeed, it is beginning to return to Singapore, being found in parks and more remote areas of the island.  The white face patch is indicative of this being a wild bird rather than an also common, escaped domestic.

Related Species:
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Gallus
Subspecies: G. g. gallus, G. g. bankiva, G. g. jabouille, G. g. murghi, G. g. spadiceus, G. g. domesticus 

- Sighting Locations -
SINGAPORE - Recolonising the island after being extipirated

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several seen at Bishan Park

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)

OTHER NAMES: White-breasted Kingfisher*, Smyrna Kingfisher 

Latin Etymology: Halcyon ("kingfisher") smyrnensis ("of the town of Izmir")

Adult White-throated Kingfisher (subspecies H. s. perpulchra) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Halycon smyrnensis perpulchra
Weight: 60-88g  /  Length: 26-28cm  /  Wingspan: 40-43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Coming from Britain with our single small and elusive species of kingfisher, the White-throated Kingfisher is both surprisingly large and surprisingly ubiquitous.  Most notably perhaps of the contrasts though is that it is not strictly associated with water - while I did see them along rivers and streams, I also saw them in such incongruous locations as on a lamp-post over a motorway or on the power-lines over a railway.  This is a result of their more varied diet - unlike the fish specialist Common Kingfisher, here they are more general predators who also hunt lizards and invertebrates.

Related Species:
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Genus: Halycon
SUBSPECIES: H. s. smyrnensis, H. s. fusca, H. s. saturatior, H. s. perpulchra, H. s. fokiensis, H. s. gularis* 

 - Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - Malay - Pekaka Dada Putih ("White-Chested Kingfisher")

Fairly common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Seen in small numbers throughout the trip in many locations including Kuala Lumpur
SINGAPORE - Fairly common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: One at Bishan Park and a later bird in Ang Mo Kio.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto    

*This is another case of name confusion based on splits - the White-breasted Kingfisher is a Philippine equivalent Halycon gularis, which is either regarded as a full species of a subspecies of this one. .

Pale grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria maha)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Pseudozizeeria (?) maha (?)

Adult Pale Grass Blue (subspecies P. m. maha) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Pseudozizeeria maha maha
Weight: ?  /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 2-2.5cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Pale Grass Blue is a recent arrival to Singapore; it was only first recorded there in 2001 and likely arrived with some human assistance, whether intentional or accidentally on some imported plants.  It seems to have found itself a good environment as it is now considered a fairly common species - given that I mostly saw is fluttering around close cut grass in parkland, a niche in ample supply in Singapore, it's probably there to stay for the forseeable future.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Psuedozizeeria
SUBSPECIES: P. m. maha, P. m. ossa, P. m. okinawana, P. m. diluta, P. m. saishutonis, P. m. argia

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - Common resident

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several seen at Bishan Park

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

African Queen (Danaus chrysippus)

OTHER NAMES: Plain Tiger, African Monarch
Latin Etymology: Danaus (a mythical Egyptian King) chrysippus (after a Greek Philosopher)

Adult Plain Tiger (subspecies D. c. chrysippus) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Danaus chrysippus chrysippus
Weight: ?  /  Length: 2.3cm (body)  /  Wingspan: 7-8cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A large, distinctive butterfly with a huge range spanning Africa, Asia and Australia.  Their bright colours are to warn predators; they consume milkweed as larvae which renders them unpalatteable to many predators.  As a further extension of this process, it has a number of species which have begun to mimic it to benefit from it's toxicity.  It also has the distinction of being on the earliest butterflies known to be depicted in human art, appearing in a fresco at Luxor.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Nymphalidae 
Genus: Danaus
SUBSPECIES: D. c. chrysippus, D. c. acippus, D. c. orientis

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - A common resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: A few at Bishan Park

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta)

OTHER NAMES: Red-eared Terrapin, Yellow-bellied Slider Turtle, Common Slider
Latin Etymology: Trachemys ("roughness turtle") scripta ("writing")

Adult Pond Slider (subspecies T. s. elegans) at Camley Street Natural Park, London - September 2010

Featured Subspecies: Trachemys scripta elegans
Weight: 240g  /  Length: 15-40cm
STATUS NOT EVALUATED / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Pond Slider is the most ubiquitous introduced reptile in the UK, found in many urban park ponds - though usually known in the UK as the Red-eared Terrapin. Originally a native of America, it became a popular pet in the early 90s after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were popular, but many specimens got released into ponds when people grew bored with them.  Subsequently, they have become established in the UK from. Although other turtles and terrapins may occasionally be present, these are by far the most common you'll encounter. They are usually found in parks as opposed to more wild places in my experience.

Related Species:
Order: Testudines
Family: Emydidae 
Genus: Trachemys 
Subspecies: T. s. scripta, T. s. elegans, T. s. trostii

Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - Fairly common introduced species
 - Seen at a few locations including Camley Street Natural Park and East Carlton Park

SINGAPORE - A feral species

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several in the river at Bishan Park 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto 
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