red whiskered bulbul at bishan park

was at bishan park ii, near the inline skating rink, when i saw this bird on the ground. recognise this species as one which bird lovers in the kampong liked to keep. a well-trained one can whistle or sing very melodiously.

the bird is a red whiskered bulbul, the one that appears on the singapore $5 note of the bird series. the bird gets its name from the red whisker patch located below its eye.

this bird feeds on fruit, nectar and small insects. the loud and evocative call is a sharp kink-a-joo, and the song is a scolding chatter. its voice is similar to a cheerful human whistling.

this one appears to be a young bird that is still not very adept at flying. i tried shooing it to fly away but it just hopped or flew a short distance. i could have captured it but i would not know how to look after it properly. eventually i chased it into the shrub so that it would be seen and taken away to become a prisoner in a cage .