Man, 55, finds sunbirds nesting outside Woodlands flat, makes friends with them

A Singaporean family's flat corridor became home to four olive-backed sunbirds.

This was after the parent birds built their nest in a potted plant there.

According to a Facebook post by Khoo Hoon Teng, he wrote: "The sunbird babies have officially fledged their nest and are exploring the neighbourhood."

The 55-year-old told Mothership that the parent birds started building the nest on Jun. 4, 2026.

He added that his wife saw both parent birds fly into their flat to check out the space a day prior.

The baby birds were then first sighted on Jul. 4, 2026.

Bigger chick flew into flat once

According to Khoo, in one instance, the bigger fledgling flew into Khoo's flat and ended up behind their 3D printer.

When asked if the birds had different temperaments, Khoo said the bigger chick was more active and "not that shy" as it usually looked at them.

He added that the smaller chick would usually hide below the bigger chick.

On Jul. 12, the fledglings took off, only to return later that evening.

As of Jul. 14, Khoo shared that the fledgling chicks were still squeezing in the nest after the mother bird had brought them back.

Khoo said he was "really happy" to have been given the opportunity to watch the birds grow.

He noted: "When they fledged, leaving the nest empty and no more chirping, I felt sad."

What to do when encountering baby birds?

Should members of the public encounter a baby bird, NParks advises them to:

• Stay calm and observe from a safe distance
• Do not feed the bird

If assistance is required for wildlife-related issues, members of the public may contact NParks’ 24-hour Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.

More information can be found on NParks’ website.