13 July 2008

Black-thighed Falconet with prey

I was having my lunch at 1.40PM when I noticed this small raptor (Microhierax fringillarius) perched highup. Than when I was about leave for work at 2.03PM the bird returned with prey. The prey was probably Tree sparrow (Passer Montanus). The feeding lasted for 15 minutes (up to 2.18PM). Unlike Gold-Whiskered Barbet feeding that I saw in May, this sparrow as already dead and the falcon just concentrated in eating the prey, (not banging it into the perch). From the breast colour it is unusually white with only small patch of orange. Look like Pied Falconet (Microhierax melanoleucos), but the pied is not found here in Malaysia ( It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, and Vietnam) I have seen the black-thighed before, their front/breast feathers are orange in colour. Could this a female or juvenile sp? NOT a White-fronted Falconet (Microhierax latifrons) which are endemic in Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak), with white colour at front half of the head, not with this bird which only a small patch of white at the head.









"Rasulullah SAW melarang daripada memakan setiap binatang buas yang bertaring dan setiap jenis burung yang mempunyai kuku untuk mencengkam"
Burung yang mempunyai kuku pencakar, paruh tajam,
makan menyambar (burung pemangsa) seperti burung helang, burung hantu dan
seumpamanya.

3 comments:

Joe said...

Nice action shots.

BirdLover said...

Seramnya!..Ha!.. ha!
Fantastic feeding shots!.
Law of the jungle in action, survival of the fitest.

Amila Salgado said...

Wow! these are great captures!
You have given your son a grat gift that a few farthers would give! Hope to see his great pictures in the future - or will ge branch out to begin his own blog now...?