Food webs in Singapore's secondary forests
Discover the hidden network of life in Singapore's secondary forests
Last updated 15 June 2026
Food web in Kent Ridge Park
Producers
Tembusu trees are highly ornamental, with deeply fissured wood, a lush canopy, and delicate, fragrant flowers that bloom profusely during their flowering season. The flowers attract bats and moths that drink nectar, while the red fruits are eaten by birds, and frugivorous mammals like bats and civets.
Simpoh Air are commonly found in secondary forests and along forest edges in places that have a lot of water, like along rivers or swamps. They flower year-round, and are buzz-pollinated by carpenter bees. Their fruit splits open in the morning to reveal seeds covered by a bright red aril, which is eaten by many frugivorous birds. In fact, many Simpoh Air fruits will have all their seeds eaten by the early afternoon!
Consumers
Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bats are one of the more common species of bats in Singapore. They feed on a wide variety of fruits, and will often carry the fruit some distance away from the mother plant to consume the soft fruit flesh, and discarding the seed. This makes them an important disperser for many tropical plant species.
Olive-winged Bulbuls can be seen in a variety of forest and wooded habitats. Like other bulbuls, they are omnivorous, and eat a variety of fruits and insects.
Broad-handed Carpenter Bees are the largest bee species in Singapore, and are able to vibrate at a specific frequency to cause some flowers to release their pollen in a process called buzz pollination. These bees will collect pollen to feed their larvae, while adults consume nectar. Broad-handed Carpenter Bees favour larger flowers, and have been known to fall off smaller ones by accident! Carpenter Bees chew holes in wood to nest, often leaving a pile of sawdust under the entrance.
Common Flamebacks are striking woodpeckers that can be seen foraging for insect larvae in wood by breaking apart the bark via a hammering motion with their pointed beaks.
Apex predators
Brahminy Kites are one of the most commonly seen raptors in Singapore as they soar high above urban landscapes, forests, and coastal areas. They are adaptable hunters that feed on fish, and a wide variety of smaller animals.
