About 500 birds spotted flying in massive flock over S'pore -- and here's what they are
A huge flock of birds has been spotted over various neighbourhoods in Singapore, leaving witnesses surprised and confused.
Stomper Scarrr's daughter noticed the birds from their home in Ghim Moh Link on Feb 8 at around 6pm.
She immediately informed her parents about the "very unique" sighting.
"I was surprised. I've never seen this type of bird before," the Stomper said. "The most exciting thing is they come in one group and move off with one group."
In photos Scarrr sent to Stomp, a huge flock of birds can be seen flying outside her window. The birds appeared to be of the same species.
Scarrr is not the only Stomper who has been awestruck by the sight.
Another Stomper, Urikoto, also shared a video of what seems to be the same birds flying over high-rise buildings in Buona Vista – not too far away from Scarrr – on Feb 6.
Urikoto said she was "shocked" to see the birds, adding: "The formation they were flying in was like in those movies, where they fly in a funnel shape upwards.
"Those birds could be really big since they were visible from quite a distance away."
"I hope a bird expert can identify what type of bird it is."
It's the Asian Openbill, a colonial nester
Similar sightings have been making their rounds on social media as well. A post by Facebook user Eugene Tan in the Singapore Wildlife Sightings group identified the birds as a type of stork known as the Asian Openbill.
Mr Tan shared two videos of the flock, estimated to consist of 500 birds, flying over Toa Payoh on the evening of Feb 8.
Yong Ding Li, Head of Flyways & Species Conservation (Asia) at Birdlife Asia, told Stomp that the birds are a "widespread species of stork in Southeast Asia, and are known to disperse widely in our region".
The species is a colonial nester and moves in large flocks, explained Mr Yong.
He added: "The species is a regular, non-breeding visitor (in the context of Singapore) during the dry season elsewhere in mainland Southeast Asia."
According to Mr Yong, the ones sighted in Singapore typically come from places such as Thailand, Cambodia, or Peninsular Malaysia, with several known breeding colonies in Penang and Perak.
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
