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Update on Apr. 10, 10:55am: This article previously identified the bird as an Amur paradise flycatcher. However, white morphs cannot be "conclusively identified as either Amur or Blyth's paradise flycatcher", according to the Singapore Birds Project. The article has been amended to reflect this.
On Apr. 4, several Singapore wildlife photographers were fortunate enough to capture photos of a rare bird in Singapore.
A paradise flycatcher was spotted in the afternoon at Berlayer Creek, which is part of the Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk.
What makes the sighting particularly special is the fact that the individual spotted is a white morph.
Image courtesy of Andy Chew
Initial bird spotting
Mothership reached out to Tony Wong, who initially spotted the paradise flycatcher with his partner.
Wong said they encountered it at about 2:30pm on Apr. 4, and they were "shocked" to see it despite knowing it was a possibility from "past experiences of senior birders" to see the bird at around this time of the year.
He posted the pictures he took on Facebook.
According to his caption, they were considering whether to head further into Labrador Park, or turn around back towards the MRT.
The pair decided on the latter as they believed they might chance upon the flycatcher. As luck would have it, Wong's partner spotted the rare bird.
Image via Tony Wong/ FB
Wong shared that as the sighting was rare, it was important for him to spread the word among the birding community.
"Having learnt much from the sharing of knowledge by experienced birders in the preceding months, we were aware that this bird was uncommon enough that others may not have seen one before either and that it was a bird that would not stay for long. Thus we knew it was essential to get word on the sighting out in a timely manner to a community chat of birding enthusiasts."
Bird's plumage looks like wedding dress
Andy Chew, another wildlife photographer who managed to photograph the bird, spoke to Mothership and said that he was aware of the bird's appearance because of Wong notifying fellow birdwatchers in their chat group.
As Chew was nearby at the time, he eagerly joined several birdwatchers in looking for the bird from 3:15pm onward.
He said that he had seen this species before, and although "annually there are bound to be appearances", it is still quite a "rare (sighting)".
Image courtesy of Andy Chew
Chew described this bird as "rare" and "one of the prettier birds" he has encountered in Singapore.
He also stated that this "migratory bird was on its return trip home".
He joked in his caption that the pose the bird struck made it look like a "wedding shoot".
Image via Andy Chew/ FB
Indeed, the bird's long white tail does resemble the train of a bride's wedding dress.
Image courtesy of Andy Chew
Large crowd of birders
In response to Mothership's queries, Alex Han, a wildlife photographer who was also present at the site, shared that the appearance of the bird drew a large crowd of birders.
Image courtesy of Alex Han
Han said that when he received news about the flycatcher sighting, he was "excited" despite seeing the species before, as it is usually a "one day stopover bird".
Image courtesy of Alex Han
Han shared that the bird was a "rare sighting" and "usually comes around this month of the year".
He described the bird as "totally mesmerising".
Image courtesy of Alex Han
More about the paradise flycatcher
Many photographers, including some of those Mothership spoke to, identified the bird as an Amur paradise flycatcher.
According to the Singapore Birds Project, the females and sub-adult Amur paradise flycatcher birds have deeper maroon-chestnut upper parts and tail.
They have a black crown, face and throat that contrasts with the greyish upper breast.
Adult males, on the other hand, can have a tail twice the length of their body, of up to or more than 27cm long. However, tails of this length are rarely seen in Singapore.
The adult male Amur paradise flycatcher birds can also occur as a white or brown morph, where their upper parts are of the respective colour.
This species live in wooded habitats and feed on a variety of insects.
These birds can be spotted from China, Korea, Japan to Southeastern Russia, wintering to Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Indonesia.
Locally, it is known to be a scarce winter visitor and common passage migrant.
The Singapore Birds Project states that white morph individuals are rare in Singapore.
However, the website also acknowledged that Amur paradise flycatcher white morphs are nearly identical to white morphs of the Blyth's paradise flycatcher, and white morphs cannot be "conclusively identified as either Amur or Blyth's paradise flycatcher".
The Blyth's paradise flycatcher generally seems to arrive in Singapore earlier than the Amur, according to Singapore Birds Project, but "possibly in smaller numbers".
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Images courtesy of Andy Chew and Alex Han.