In ecology, a feeding frenzy occurs when predators are overwhelmed by the amount of prey available. For example, a large school of fish can cause nearby sharks, such as the lemon shark, to enter into a feeding frenzy. This can cause the sharks to go wild, biting anything that moves, including each other or anything else within biting range.
Feeding Frenzy Ecology Project
“Was out cycling with my wife when we spotted a feeding frenzy of birds on alate termites. This is not an uncommon occurrence and I have seen numerous episodes. [See video of a termite hatch HERE.]
“Despite the limited lighting we decided to try and document the behaviour with some images; I always carry a smaller lens with me.
“The birds seen feeding today include: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) (top); Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) (above); Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis); Pied Triller (Lalage nigra) (below)…
“…Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) (below); Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica); and I was unsure about the Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis).
“In the past I have also seen the following birds feeding on these swarming termites: Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis), Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis), White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica), Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense), Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis), Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), Asian Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) and Green-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis).”
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
19th April 2014
Location: Ipoh City, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Urban residential environment
Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
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