SINGAPORE – A bus stop in Dairy Farm Road, which is located near Singapore\u2019s green \u201cheart\u201d, recently claimed several avian victims as multiple birds were seen flying into its clear panels.<\/p>\n
Collisions like this could happen as birds may not be able to perceive the clear panels as barriers, experts say.<\/p>\n
Mr Jimmy Tan, a freelance editor, posted a video on Facebook on Nov 10 showing an unmoving pink-necked green pigeon lying on the ground at bus stop 43899.<\/p>\n
The 52-year-old had cycled past the area at around 8am when he made the observation. He said he inspected the bird and found that its body looked intact and free of external injuries.<\/p>\n
While he was reporting the sighting to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum \u2013 which has a hotline for dead bird reportings that can aid in research \u2013 a few more birds crashed into the panels, Mr Tan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as I was typing my report and wondering if the bird might have crashed into the clear wall at the back of the bus stop, I heard loud thuds and saw three Asian glossy starlings falling onto the ground after crashing into it,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two of the starlings recovered quickly and flew away, while the third feathered creature appeared dazed. It opened and shut its eyes periodically for about five minutes before it could stand upright on its feet, he added.<\/p>\n Three starlings were also seen dazed after crashing into the glass panel at bus stop 43899 in Dairy Farm Road on Nov 10. <\/p>\n PHOTO: JIMMY TAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n When a volunteer from the museum went to retrieve the carcass of the male pigeon, she found another dead female green pigeon in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dairy Farm Road borders the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, and is located near the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.\u00a0<\/p>\n The museum\u2019s assistant senior curator of birds Tan Yen Yi, who helms the hotline, said that it appeared that the female pigeon had died before the male pigeon. <\/p>\n \u201cThat brings the crash count to five birds within 24 hours,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Since late 2019, Dr Tan said she had recorded 45 reports of dead birds found near bus stops.\u00a0<\/p>\n Noting that the panels at the bus stop in Dairy Farm were \u201cvery clear\u201d, Dr Tan said: \u201cIt\u2019s like walking into glass doors, which we all are likely to have experienced in our lives, except the birds do that at full sprint.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Straits Times has reached out to the Land Transport Authority for comment. <\/p>\n Ms Veronica Foo, who chairs the bird group of environmental group Nature Society Singapore, said that panels can reflect the surrounding trees and sky and birds may perceive them as a clear flight path.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another possible reason for the bird crash is \u201creflection aggression\u201d \u2013 where a bird attacks its own reflection, thinking that the reflection is a rival bird, she added.<\/p>\n At night, tall buildings with a glass facade often reflect the stars in the sky and birds may mistake them as a clear flight path, said Ms Foo.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Tan noted that birds that migrate at night and at low altitudes also appear to be prone to collision with man-made structures, regardless of the building material quality.<\/p>\n Dr David Tan, postdoctoral research fellow at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, said that in Singapore, birds that are more at risk of such collisions include fruit-eating birds that live on the edges of the country\u2019s forests such as green pigeons, emerald doves, and starlings as they move between trees to forage.<\/p>\n Mr Jimmy Tan, a 52-year-old freelance editor, posted a video on Facebook on Nov 10 showing an unmoving pink-necked green pigeon lying on the ground at bus stop 43899.<\/p>\n PHOTO: JIMMY TAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Migratory birds such as pittas, bitterns, black-backed kingfishers and flycatchers are also prone to colliding as they stop over in the city and get disoriented, said the bird scientist.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>
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