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You may have heard
some exotic screeching in Changi Viillage as you tucked into
a meal after some hearty explorations in Ubin. Well, wonder
no more, and soon you will have a better idea of what to
look out for!
The cockatoo at
Changi Village is the Tanimbar Cockatoo (Cacatua
goffini). There are usually about 5 birds around the
village Angsana trees along the main road and they actually
nest in tree holes of a couple of those trees.
There are up to 20
Tanimbar Cockatoos in the Loyang/Changi area. Elsewhere in
Singapore, there are a few populations of the Tanimbar
Cockatoo including about 40 on Sentosa.
The other parrot
commonly using those trees are the Red-breasted Parakeet
(Psittacula alexandri), also known as teh Moutacheed
Parakeet.
There are also about
3 Yellow-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea) in the
zone but they hardly visit the village.
Both cockatoos as
well as the Red-breasted Parakeet are not natives of
Singapore. The Tanimbar Cockatoo is native only to the
Tanimbar
Islands of Wallacea,
and the Red-breasted Parakeet was originally restricted to
Java and Bali. Both were introduced to Singapore 3-4 decades
ago through the bird trade. All have established themselves
in Singapore and have feral (i.e. tame birds that returned
to the wild) breeding populations.
In Singapore, the
Tanimbar Cockatoo feeds on the fruits of various trees....in
particular the Sea Almond (Terminalia catappa).
Although not native here, Singapore has become the most
accessible place to see this species in the wild!
Subaraj
Rajathurai
Natural History Birding Consultant &
Guide
Additional
notes about these exotics
The two
species are also exotic in many other countries, possibly as
a result of their presence in the bird trade. E.g. the
Red-breasted Parakeet is reported from Tasmania
and Florida!
Though not endagered,
ironically this parakeet is now rare
in Java,. The
Tanimbar or Gofffin's Cockatoo, however, is still
relatively
common in the wilds of the Tanimbar
Archipelago.
It is, however, listed as Near-Threatened
in the IUCN Red List.
Many species of
parrots are depleted from their original forests by the bird
trade and the Wild
Parrot Trust
supports a campaign to ban the import of wild caught parrots
into the European Union.
Tanimbar
Cockatoo (Cacatua goffini),
Parrots
and Parakeets theme, Grenadines, issued 1st March 2000.
Source:Kjell Scharning , "Theme birds on stamps":
http://www.birdtheme.org/country/grenadg.html
Red-breasted
Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri) on a stamp. Parrots
theme, Thailand, issued 23rd January 2001. Source:Kjell
Scharning , "Theme birds on stamps": Thailand
http://www.birdtheme.org/country/thailand.html
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