Singapore’s feathered tourists and their economic value

THE Arctic warbler may be Singapore’s smallest and most underrated tourist. This fluffy songbird weighs just 10 grams, but endures the toughest of journeys: it flies thousands of miles from the taiga forests of Europe, Russia and Alaska to get here.

Arctic warblers are often hiding in plain sight. Between September and April, these hardy travellers can be found flitting among the trees in gardens, nature reserves and even in car parks.

“There were three Arctic warblers in my car park, so there must’ve been some in yours,” says conservation biologist Dr Yong Ding Li, estimating that several thousands of these birds spend the winter here.