Youth Day Special

This article is contributed by Ms Roxanne Lau, a trainee teacher who is currently undergoing her Teaching Practicum in Greendale Secondary School. Ms Lau spotted our resident long-tailed shrike and decided to follow its family for a while. Ms Lau has a strong interest in our local biodiversity and is knowledgeable about our local fauna. - Mr William Teng

Written by Ms Roxanne Lau (trainee teacher)

Happy Youth Day 2021!

As we celebrated the camaraderie exhibited in the laudable SYF performances and expended our energy in the Game Carnival, a brood of young birds was celebrating Youth Day in a quiet corner within our school compound… Read on to find out more!

These are nestlings of the long-tailed shrike, a resident bird with distinctive thick black eye-stripe, orange lower parts and long black tail. In the video, you can see the parent shrike feeding the nestlings, a stage in the bird’s life cycle where the young birds still depend on their parents to bring back food (refer to life cycle below).

The long-tailed shrike preys on small birds, geckos, and even small mammals. As sinister as it may sound, the shrikes sometimes pierce their prey through sharp objects such as twigs, like meat on a skewer. If you observe such a gory scene, do not panic and just let the birds be. Nature is metal.

After a few weeks, the nestlings will fledge, and leave the nest for the first time! The young fledglings may hop around the ground to explore the area near the nest, learning how to capture prey e.g., insects. If you do see them around, simply observe their cuteness from a distance to prevent your squeals from scaring them away.  

All images and video courtesy of Ms Roxanne Lau