Mar 19, 2025
The Nectar Pirate
An Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) raiding a Prunus serrulata ‘Taihaku’ tree in the Flower Dome. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.
This sparrow had been called a nectar pirate because it was said to take nectar without promoting pollination.
But this sparrow and its two friends would seem to need the nectar to survive in here. They had somehow got trapped inside the air-conditioned conservatory and the temperature had also now been kept especially low for the ongoing Sakura floral display.
The sparrows were returning to the cherry blossoms repeatedly and desperately ripping off flower petals to get at the nectar while we were there.
