THE MALAYAN YELLOW-BREASTED SUTSTBIED 
Leptocoma jugularis ornaia (Less.) 
Description: — The male has the forehead, throat and 
breast dark metallic blue, the upper parts and wings greenish 
(olive) and the abdomen bright yellow. Thr tail is almost 
black with the outer tail feathers partly white. 
The female lacks the metallic blye parts of the male and is 
entirely greenish above and yellow below- 
The soft parts display no conspicuous colours^ the irides 
being dark brown and the beak and feet dark brown or black. 
This is a tiny bird with a total Icn^h of about 4 inches or 
a little more and the wing usually just over 2 inches. 
Distribution : — A common bird in the Malay Peninsula but 
replaced in the northern parts by a sUghtly altered sub-species. 
It is also found in the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra and 
Java and further afield the birds of Celebes and yet more to the 
east could perhaps be linked up as forrns of this species. 
Status in Singapore \^This is the common sunbird of the 
town gardens ; it breeds freely even within the environs of the 
busy city and is found all over the island. 
Field Notes : — In the Botanic Gardens the brilliant little 
male of this species should soon be found and recognised on 
account of his bright yellow underjiarts with neatly divided 
gorget of shining black. He may be looked for among the 
canna&, but most residents already know this bird by sight on 
account of Its boldness in %ing on to the verandahs of our 
houses, where it hangs to the chick cords (sometimes upside 
down ! ) and gazes around perhaps making a very thorough 
inspection of the ceiling and being rewarded with sundry 
unsuspecting spiders. 
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