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ID Articles
September 8, 2024 / September 10, 2024 by raghavnarayanswamy | Leave a Comment
September marks the arrival of Whiskered Terns to our shores, followed closely behind by White-winged Terns. However, these two species are among the most mis-identified in Singapore, with juvenile Whiskered Terns being easily confused with White-winged Terns.
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ID Articles Science
January 25, 2024 / January 25, 2024 by raghavnarayanswamy | Leave a Comment
With the recent sighting of a Citrine Wagtail at Neo Tiew, the common migrant Eastern Yellow Wagtails have received more attention too. Despite some common misconceptions, current evidence suggests almost all wintering birds in Singapore are not identifiable to subspecies. Only taivana can be conclusively identified, and Manchurian/Amur-breeding macronyx is not separable from Arctic-breeding plexa and tschutschensis.
December 19, 2023 / November 30, 2024 by OkamotoKeitaSin | 1 Comment on Some birds cannot be identified?
Some birds in Singapore are difficult to identify. Some other birds might actually be impossible to identify in the field here??
October 31, 2023 / October 31, 2023 by OkamotoKeitaSin | 2 Comments on Primary bars – an unnoticed identification feature in sparrowhawks?
Accipiter identification is fun yet challenging, and oftentimes require a combination of features. In this article we discuss a potentially useful feature that seems to have been neglected so far.
Birding Starter Pack ID Articles
October 20, 2023 / October 13, 2024 by raghavnarayanswamy | 2 Comments on Introducing the Visual Guide to Singapore Raptors
Our new, comprehensive Visual Guide to Singapore Raptors will be your best friend as you scan the skies. In this guide, we have plates individually capturing each of Singapore’s 25 (as of writing) non-vagrant raptors, meaning every raptor species which appears more or less annually has its own page, including all residents. The remaining species are also illustrated on a smaller page. We also highlight the other migratory birds which are often seen from raptor watch sites like Henderson Waves on a separate panel.
July 29, 2023 / July 29, 2023 by raghavnarayanswamy | 2 Comments on Sand plovers in Singapore: two species or three?
Might Singapore have three species of sand plover? It might seem an odd question – we usually only mention the Lesser Sand Plovers, which are pretty common, with the rare Greater sometimes turning up. What’s the third one then?
October 31, 2022 / December 17, 2023 by Dillen Ng | 1 Comment on FLY201: An overview of brown flycatchers in Muscicapidae
This article focuses on distinguishing the different groups (or genera) of flycatchers within the family Muscicapidae—Muscicapa, Ficedula, Cyanoptila, and Cyornis. Once you are able to tell apart the different genera, it will help narrow down the possible choices and pin down the species!
August 9, 2022 / November 14, 2022 by Dillen Ng | 5 Comments on RAP301: What is that raptor?
Contributed by Max Khoo, this infographic is a simple and easy-to-use visual guide to the raptors of Singapore.
January 15, 2022 / July 29, 2024 by clariceyan | 2 Comments on FLY101: Identifying Little Brown Jobs of the genus Muscicapa in Singapore
Out of the 26 extant flycatchers that belong to the genus Muscicapa, 6 have been recorded in Singapore during the migratory season. In an easily digestible fashion, FLY101 sheds light on the various features to differentiate these flycatchers.
December 12, 2021 / May 21, 2024 by sandrachia | 2 Comments on RAP201: How to Identify Uncommon Raptors
Your handy raptor identification guide is back with a second installment – RAP201: How to Identify Uncommon Raptors! This article will cover seven species that migrate through Singapore in relatively low numbers: Grey-faced Buzzard (Butastur indicus), Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo), Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus), Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), Black Kite (Milvis migrans), Greater Spotted Eagle […]
October 25, 2021 / July 29, 2024 by OkamotoKeitaSin | 1 Comment on PIPIT101: Identifying Singapore’s First Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis
Written by Richard White, infographic by Keita Sin Editing by Martin Kennewell, Keita Sin, Sandra Chia, & Dillen Ng The birding community was presented with an identification challenge today with the arrival of a vagrant pipit species. These small, brown, streaky birds can be difficult to identify at the best of times. An unfamiliar, out […]
October 15, 2021 / May 21, 2024 by sandrachia | 3 Comments on RAP101: How to Identify Common Raptors
The peak of Singapore’s raptor migration will soon be upon us. From October to December, large numbers of migratory raptors will pass through Singapore, as they move from their breeding grounds in temperate northeast Asia to tropical southeast Asia (Bildstein, 2006). This constitutes autumn migration, where birds migrate southwards to avoid frigid winters in their […]
June 28, 2021 / May 21, 2024 by OkamotoKeitaSin | Leave a Comment
Pelagic birds are rather scarce in Singapore, so news of the grounded Shearwater found at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park on 23 June must have caught everybody by surprise. The bird was originally found by a passer-by below a HDB block in the area and then transported to the park. It was later spotted by William […]
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