One red-cheeked cordon-bleu at Punggol Park has been keeping bird enthusiasts in Singapore busy recently.
While it shares the name of this French dish, it has nothing to do with food and does not look anything like this.
Photo of cordon-bleu. Via Wikipedia.
Instead, we're talking about this:
Photo via Deep Ujjawal/Facebook
Cordon-bleu means "blue ribbon" in French and the bird gets its name because of its brightly-coloured blue plumage.
The male red-cheeked cordon-bleu has a distinct red patch on its cheeks.
The female has no red cheeks and has a duller plumage.
Here are more photos of the beautiful bird taken by bird enthusiasts from Facebook group Bird Sightings:
Photo via Deep Ujjawal/Facebook
Always camera-ready with its natural blush:
Photo by Cecillia Lee/Facebook
Nailing influencers' favourite pose of looking up and away from the camera:
Photo by Cecillia Lee/Facebook
Photo by Cecillia Lee/Facebook
Photo by Cecillia Lee/Facebook
Here's a video:
Could be a released pet or an escapee
According to Singapore Birds, the red-cheeked cordon-bleu belongs to the family of weaver-finches.
This species mainly consumes seeds and grains, such as grass seeds, and have been observed to consume beeswax.
The red-cheeked cordon-bleu is originally found in Sub-Saharan Africa (the area that lies south of the Sahara).
Not native to Singapore, this individual sighted in Punggol Park could have been released or escaped.
Another red-cheeked cordon-bleu was previously spotted at Singapore Botanic Gardens in 2012.
Penalty for releasing wildlife without approval
According to the National Parks Board, visitors to our green spaces are asked to refrain from releasing animals into our parks and nature reserves as it may "upset our fragile eco-system and cause more harm than good."
Those who release animals could also face a fine of S$5,000, under the Wild Animals and Birds Act.
We deliver more stories to you on LinkedIn
Top images via Deep Ujjawal/Facebook