The Sunda scops owl Otus lempiji is commonly found in many wooded habitat types in Malaysia. However, as with other owl species in Southeast Asia, there is a lack of published ecological studies. We examined the home range and activity patterns of six adult Sunda scops owls based on radio-telemetry in an isolated forest, namely Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia from December 2012 to June 2013. Mean minimum convex polygon and harmonic mean home range areas of the owls were 2.40 ± 0.28 SD ha and 4.00 ± 0.78 SD ha, respectively.

Understanding the diurnal and nocturnal habitat requirements of Galliformes is importantfor gauging their conservation needs. To examine these requirements, we measured microhabitat usage at daytime foraging and roost sites of the green-legged partridge Tropicoperdix chloropus located by radio telemetry at Khao Yai National Park in 2009–2010 and defined which habitat characteristics were influential. During the day, individuals utilised sites that had denser and thicker understory plants and cover than random sites. Binary logistic regression indicated that the density of understory plants and woody climber stems had the largest influence on partridge habitat selection. At night, partridges roost on elevated trees. Adult males roosted alone within their territories during incubation, but during other times, they roosted as a pair or with the family group. After the chicks hatched, the female would take the chicks to roost on the ground within tree buttresses until three weeks of age, when they were able to fly up to roost on trees. The mean roosting tree height was 5.6 m, and the mean perch height was 3.2 m from the ground. The partridges preferred roosting sites with a denser and higher canopy cover to their perch position (>3 m), but a lower density and canopy cover of understory plants under their perch position (<3 m). Binary logistic regression indicated positive associations with percent cover of small trees (3–5 m), but a negative association with percent cover of understory plants. Large trees had the most influence on roost site selection. The use of different forest structures by the partridges during day and night supports the need for maintaining a complex habitat composition for the conservation of this species.

Understanding the habitat requirements of threatened species is essential for developing effective conservation and habitat management plans. The Siamese fireback (Lophura diardi), a lowland pheasant species found in mainland Southeast Asia, has mostly been studied in its areas of range expansion in submontane forests. However, there is limited information on the species’ ranging behaviour and habitat use in their lowland habitat. We investigated the ranging behaviour, patterns of habitat use, and roost site selection using radio telemetry in a small and well-protected lowland forest in northeastern Thailand. The home range size was slightly larger during the non-breeding season (26.4 ± 3.9 SE ha) than during the breeding season (20.8 ± 2.3 SE ha). The birds selected areas with high tree density at 3–5 m height, sparse tree coverage at 0.5–3 m height and high climber density in proximity to water sources. In addition, the Siamese fireback appeared to prefer roost sites on steeper slopes with less canopy cover, presumably to facilitate escape by flushing during attempted predation. Our results provide the first ranging ecology information on lowlandLophura species in their typical habitat which can be used as the basis for further research of other cryptic Lophuraspecies in Southeast Asia.

The hooded pitta is distributed widely over India and south-western China, eastwards through Southeast Asia and the Philippines, and south to New Guinea. In Singapore, it is an uncommon winter visitor and passage migrant. Although an inhabitant of forested areas, it has also been found in gardens and urban areas during migration. The present sighting coincides with the northbound passage period (March and April) for this species (Lim, 2009: 276)

As it was an unusual find, the crab was collected and deposited in the Zoological Reference Collection of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum under the catalogue number ZRC 2014.0209 (Fig. 2). Ceratocarcinus longimanus was first recorded from Singapore waters by Walker (1887). Castro et al. (1995) resolved the taxonomy of this species with material obtained from Singapore in 1992. This species is an obligate commensal of comatulid crinoids and is usually solitary (Castro et al., 1995; Humann & DeLoach, 2010)

Hornets (Vespidae: Vespinae) recorded from Singapore comprise five visually conspicuous species. Three of the four Vespa species, V. affinis (Linnaeus), V. analis Fabricius, and V. tropica (Linnaeus), occur frequently across multiple habitat types, whereas the forest-associated V. multimaculata Pérez is known only from historical records. Also from Singapore, a species of night hornet, Provespa anomala (de Saussure), is associated with forests and is often attracted to artificial light sources. We review these five hornet species, summarising their global and local distribution and natural history, including their habitat preferences, prey, and floral associations. We also assess their conservation status in Singapore based on historical collections and recent surveys. Lack of records of V. multimaculata within the last 90 years despite targeted sampling efforts in remnant forest habitats indicate that this species is likely locally extinct. We present diagnoses, simple keys, and images of all taxa to facilitate the conservation, management, and monitoring of these ecologically and medically significant insects