- Pycnonotus cafer
Identification
19–20 cm (7½-8 in)
- Brownish-black upperparts
- White rump
- Brownish-black breast
- White underparts
- Red around the vent
- Black head and small bushy crest
- Long white-tipped tail
Sexes similar; young birds are duller
Distribution
Asia: found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and south-western China.
They have been introduced to many areas including Fiji and Hawaii. They are also commonly seen in urban parts of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 9 subspecies[1]:
- P. c. intermedius: Himalayas (western Pakistan to western Uttar Pradesh)
- P. c. humayuni: Pakistan (Salt Range) and north-western India
- P. c. bengalensis: Eastern Himalayas (eastern Uttar Pradesh) to north-eastern India, Nepal and Bhutan
- P. c. wetmorei: North-eastern peninsula India
- P. c. primrosei: Southern Assam (south of the Brahmaputra), Bangladesh and West Bengal
- P. c. pusillus South India (Bombay, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra to Kerala)
- P. c. cafer: Sri Lanka
- P. c. stanfordi: Northern Burma to extreme south-western China (western Yunnan)
- P. c. melanchimus: South-central Burma (Mandalay to Rangoon)
Habitat
Scrub, open dry deciduous woodland, plains and cultivated land, orchards and gardens.
Behaviour
Breeding
They builds their nest in a bush; the clutch consists of 2-3 eggs.
Diet
The diet includes fruit, buds, nectar, insects and invertebrates.
Vocalisation
A very noisy species
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- PBase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-vented Bulbul. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-vented_Bulbul
External Links
