346 : Black-and-Red Broadbill

Black-and-Red Broadbill - Cymbirynchus macrorynchus

Another star bird from the colourful middle of the fieldguide. Again picked up on a "float down" the river. These birds build a grass-woven pear shaped nest chamber suspended and hanging down from a branch. We came across one mid-stream. Presumably a great deterrent to snakes and other nest predators. I did not manage to get a decent picture of this bird so I really need a better picture another time when I journey back to South-East Asia.

While we are on the subject of snakes we may as well get the expedition's snake encounter out of the way !

I thought from my initial research that this is a Speckled Pit Viper (Trimeresurus Wagleri). I was dismayed that I found it on a webpage entitled "The Medically Important Poisonous Snakes of Malaysia" by Professor Tan who works in the Department of Molecular Medicine in the Medical Faculty of the University of Malaya. On this occasion though it was a frog and not me. I know nothing about snakes but Matte was having none of it and retreated off the boardwalk. He told me it was venomous.  It didn't take the fellow long to make short work of this quite large frog. Professor Tan seems to think its bite would cause pain and local swelling. Its not a Pit Viper though as the Vipers have a very triangular head - so what is it ? I have been through upwards of 50 snake families to find the answer ! Its a Common Bronze Back Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis tristis) - not venomous at all and from what I have now read it can just give you a little nip ! I guess we imagine the worst when we see a snake.

I estimate the snake was perhaps 4-5 foot long but probably no more than the size of an ordinary domestic water pipe - if that - perhaps no thicker than a thin branch or your thumb in places.

So Matte needn't have retreated 10 m up a slope - he was probably more likely to step on something else up there !

There is an awful lot of tail going on with this snake.

The colours were beautiful - thankfully with a 400 mm lens I did not have to get too close. At the time given Matte's reaction I though it was the sort of snake that would spoil your holiday pretty quickly.

The thing was beautiful though and when it decided it was time to go it was off - at time a full foot of its body up off the ground weaving around to find a way up off the boardwalk.

Matte honestly was a woose with this fellow which made me feel a lot better. Tramping around in the jungle in the dark though to get into position to try for a Pitta ? It makes you think twice. I certainly came away with a bit of reticence about the jungle. This guy didn't seem phased by us at all. I guess he was busy though ! In retrospect I will take a couple of lessons the next time I go somewhere as to which snakes are going to cause you a problem.

Black-And-Red Broadbill, Cymbirynchus macrorynchus
Taman Negara National Park, Peninsula Malaysia
June 2016