The great thing about Phuket’s weather this time of year is that it can change within minutes. It can be raining at one end of the beach and sunny at the other end. Raining in one street and dry in the next. Yes, it really is that localised here in Phuket.
That has many advantages. If you are walking out for lunch, a drink in the evening or out and about in the day, when a downpour happens you run into the nearest restaurant or bar and discover a great new place that you normally would have walked past without a second glance.
The same goes when out on a tour or even just walking to the beach. Here in Phuket we have lots of very small colourful birds and creatures that normally even the locals miss and have never seen before. Mostly people don’t see them as they are small and people do not look closely as they are too busy going on about their business, oblivious to the world alive around them, including small birds.
Among the more common tiny birds here are Flower Peckers. These tiny birds are only 8-10cm long and about 6 grammes in weight. They have quite a quiet ‘chirp chirp’ sound. They tend not to be too scared as long as you are still and quiet; they just go about their business.
There are several different types but the most common on Phuket are the Red (or scarlet)-backed Flower Pecker which is very easy to identify as it has a bright red stripe running from the top of its head right down its back. It has a black beak, face and wings with a white belly.
The Orange-bellied Flower Pecker has a black head, white throat and orange belly. The orange does extend onto its back between its wings but not onto its head.
Then you have the Fire-breasted Flower Pecker. This looks similar to the Orange-bellied version but has a more yellow belly and a red flash on its chest rather than all orange.
These beautiful birds are not rare at all, but being so small and staying under the shelter of smaller trees people just do not see them as they walk past. On the hill just past the paying path down to Freedom Beach there is a shelter where you park motorbikes in the shade. Here there are a couple of small trees and you get all three of these Flower Peckers all in the same tree together.
Another stunning bird or birds you get here are the Sunbirds. Here in Phuket the main three types you get are the ornate Sunbird, the Olive-backed Sunbird and the Brown-throated Sunbird. These birds are very distinctive by their small size and very long curved beaks. They are around 11cm in length.
The Olive-backed sunbird is easy to spot and quite common. They have an olive-coloured back and yellow belly with the male having a blue patch from the chin to upper breast but the female just has the yellow belly.
Brown-throated Sunbirds in some books are described as dull looking but here in Phuket they seem to be very brightly coloured. Again they have olive wings and a bright yellow belly, but the head, shoulders and back are very bright. They have a metallic-looking green or blue head, a brown throat with turquoise flashes to the sides of the throat. They also have blue flashes on the shoulders and upper wings. The female is less colourful with the olive head and wings, a brown throat and yellow belly.
Then lastly is the Ornate Sunbird. The ones I have seen are not as ‘ornate’ as their brown-throated cousins. These birds again are olive-backed and yellow-bellied, but have a metallic blue throat and chest. Some have a yellow belly all the way down, others can have a white belly under the blue chest. There are other sunbirds here too, but these are by far the most common. They are very pretty to see when out and about. They like to live in forest edges and tree lines. They have a very expansive diet of nectar, insects, spiders, fruit and berries.
Another common bird here is the flycatcher. Of these there are so many to mention. These are small perching birds that dart out to catch flies in the air. By far the brightest ones that I have seen here in Phuket are the Yellow-rumped flycatcher. This stunning bird is so colourful and stands out from all around it. It’s a small bird that feasts on all the small flying insects, which is why it’s easier to see in the green season, especially when it is calm and clear after the rain, when all the flies come out.
Meanwhile, the Asian brown flycatcher, although by far the most common flycatcher here, is also the hardest to spot. The reason being it is a small brown bird. To be fair it is more than that as it has a light brown head and wings and a cream-coloured belly. But what to me makes it more distinctive is the white rings around its eyes.
All other flycatchers prefer small trees and bushes around water holes, ponds and similar areas as that is where there are the most flies. So if you are in a nice outside restaurant in the evening away from the more built-up areas and you are not getting bitten by mozzies then it’s down to the flycatchers around. Some are really beautiful and ornate, but I am concentrating on the birds you can see every day around the main tourist towns without venturing into the jungles and nature reserves.
Last but not least, the tiny Common Taylor Bird is one bird almost everyone will hear sooner or later in Phuket. It’s hard to see as the call is loud and sharp and the sound makes you think it’s coming from a much larger bird. I had one as an alarm clock as it sat outside my window and it went off at 7am every day. It took me several days to see it as I was looking for something much larger. It’s very easy to identify when you do finally see one as its tail sticks up in the air. It has a slight chestnut colour to the top of its head and a pale orange or pink beak, and a yellowy olive back and wings and a pale belly. Its song is very repetitive. It’s a staccato sound almost like a child making a sound like a raygun or even pistol shot. Short sharp chirps. They eat small insects, larvae, small fruits and seeds.
I know there are so many small birds here in Phuket and there is no way to do a write up on all of them all. This is just a few of the more common ones that most people will walk past and not notice them even though they are in plain sight. After all that’s what my articles are supposed to be about in the first place. To open people’s eyes to what hidden wildlife is here in Phuket and in plain sight that no one knows is here. So now the green season is here and the crowds have gone, you have a much better chance to see things that others miss.
By Simon Lomas
Simon Lomas is an expat who has been living in Phuket for more than 12 years, and takes enjoying nature and the island’s surroundings to heart.