Attack of Dollarbirds’ nest by starlings

An earlier account saw how a Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) attacked the nest of a pair of Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis) but was physically evicted from the nest. Here, the attack by a flock of Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis) was under different circumstances.

Meng and Melinda Chan were at Lim Chu Kang when they noticed a pair of Dollarbirds nesting in an open cavity at the top of a dead tree trunk. A small flock of Asian Glossy Starlings was flying over when they noticed the Dollarbirds’ nest. The starlings suddenly flew down to raid the nest. Predictably, the pair of Dollarbirds retaliated, attacking the former. Being outnumbered, the nest was raided and what appeared to be a well-developed embryo was taken away by one of the starlings. The starlings flew away leaving the Dollarbirds to assess the damage.

Thanks to Meng and Melinda Chan for the observation. Images by YC.