Many birds are rarely seen paired outside of mating seasons.
Pacific swallows are such birds. They fly up and down solo tirelessly, and when they rest, they typically perch somewhere solo as well.
So it was my first time to see a pair of pacific swallows rest on a pole at Colugo deck, Riffle Range Nature reserve. They flew away in their separate way, and came back to the pole, perching apart on the small tip of the pole, or side by side, looking around. One time it seemed they were quarrelling !
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| Pacific Swallows |
Yellow vented bulbuls are another solitude birds. I saw a pair of yellow vented bulbuls resting together two times before. It was so cute to see them "talking" or just perched there looking around.
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| a pair of yellow vented bulbuls |
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| another pair of yellow vented bulbul |
Herons are solitude water birds. I saw first time a pair of great billed herons flying and resting together during our kayaking to Sungei Khatib Bongsu.
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| a pair of great billed herons |
I also see paired hornbills, but more frequently family of hornbills.
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| male hornbill (left) has black patch under its eyes, female (right) has brownish patch |
It is hard to tell the sex of stork-billed kingfishers. The male and female have little difference, except that the female's beak is "heavier". This can be compared only when they perch side by side or near each other - which is rare.
I spotted paired fantails a couple times. Once the couple were feeding their chicks, and another times it was during courtship.
The only time I saw male and female olive backed sunbird together, the female seemed to be scared of the male. When the male approached a flower that female was at, the female hided from the male.
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| the female olive back sunbird hided under the flow petal |
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| the female olive backed sunbird was in high alter when a male approached |
White Bellied Sea Eagles typically forage solo, but live at a nest as a family.
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| Not sure if these were an eagle couple, or two juvenile eagles playing |
My most common sightings of bird couples are Swans, Black Swans - elegant, graceful. They are love birds, stay together all the time.
