Black-collared Starling

   The natural habitat of the Black-collared Starling is subtropical and tropical dry forests. It is mainly found in South Asia and it is a resident bird in Hong Kong.

    The Black-collared Starling is slightly bigger than the Common Starling at about 28cm long.

    

　Like the Common Starlings, the Black-collared Starlings are noisy birds and can usually be heard before being seen. But they are not as good as the Common Starlings in mimicking sounds. The distinctive  black “scarf”  makes them very easy to identify. 

 They are often found in open land in the countryside as well as urban parks looking for berries, insects and worms.

Butterflies in love

The warm weather and abundant food resources put butterflies in the mood for romance. I managed to have captured some of the loving moments.

Hong Kong Fritillary 

Common Tailor 

Common Rose 

Common Grass Yellow

Banded Tree Brown 

Gram Blue

Stick Insect

At the moment, I seem to see long-legged Stick Insects in the bushes everywhere. 

Actually the Stick Insect is so well disguised that most of the time it can easily be mistaken for a small tree branch.  

I am always fascinated by its slim body, long legs and especially the tiny head.

However, no matter how well camouflaged they are, some Stick Insects still can not hide from the eyes of  Red Whiskered Bulbul birds.

Colourful Bugs

I never paid  much attention to the bugs in Hong Kong until recently when I saw these beautiful little things on a Tea Tree.  

It is called Tea Seed Bug (or Tea Shield Bug). The mature bug is very colourful at about 16-10mm long and 10-14mm wide. 

It feeds on Tea Seeds, therefore it is a pest. 

The multiple eggs are usually laid on the back of the leaves. 

The young bugs are also bright coloured. 

These Red Stink Bugs look very pretty too. 

The male is usually smaller than the female. 

Unlike the Tea Seed bug, the Red Stink Bug feeds on small insects and flies.