Silence of the birds

The yellow-vented bulbul is common to Malaysian cities but is fast losing its homes in trees as more and more are cut down. — GERIFALTE DEL SABANA/Wikimedia Commons

BIRDS in urban areas are having a tough time as shady trees are being felled to make way for development. In the last several years, hundreds of trees and bushes have been cleared to make way for road expansion projects and the concretisation of large open spaces.

Numerous bird species are now seldom seen, such as the Asian koels, Javan mynas, fantails, bulbuls, black-naped orioles, and house sparrows.