Singapore Wildlife

The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Jurong Bird Park

Dover Forest

I chanced upon a nest with 2 babies. Patiently waited for mommy and daddy to feed the babies. You can see the food menu from the pictures (in order) berries, cricket and a spider. The time duration of the feeding pix start at 131pm to the last pix at 358pm.

Let me bring your attention to the last picture (see the white blob): Within seconds of feeding, the chick will poop and the parent will actually eat the poop which at this stage is called a "fecal sac". This sounds gross but before the babies get older, their intestines do not have much bacteria to help them digest their food. It's the bacteria that make droppings germy and smelly. Before the bacteria kick in, the poop is rich in only partially-digested food. Their parents can take advantage of the food still in the droppings. Eating from the droppings allows the parents to give more of the worms and insects they find to their babies. Once the droppings start having bacteria, the parents will stop eating them. Removing the fecal sac will also ensure the cleanliness of the nest.

Singapore Zoo - Mandai Wildlife Reserve

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