- Brachypodius melanocephalos
Pycnonotus atriceps
Brachypodius atriceps
Identification
Size: 18 cm. Wedge-shaped tail with dull black subterminal band dignostic.
Common Morph: Mantle and breast olive-yellow; uppertail coverts and rest of the underparts bright yellow; head (including chin,throat and neck) glossy blue-black; primaries and primary coverts blackish-brown; iris blue.
Grey Morph: Breast, upper belly and collar pale grey.
Juvenile: Lacks the black head.
Distribution
Ranges from north-east India through S.E.Asia and the Greater Sundas to Palawan (Philippines.).
Taxonomy
Andaman Bulbul was formerly included in this species.
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies[1]:
- B. m. melanocephalos:
- B. m. hyperemnus:
- Sumatra, Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Bangka and Belitung islands
- B. m. baweanus:
- Bawean Island (Java Sea)
- B. m. hodiernus:
- Maratua Islands (Celebes Sea)
Habitat
Broadleaved and riverine forests, forest edges and mangroves. Also in open country.
Behaviour
Frequents the lower and middle storey. Nomadic, with flocks dispersing over a wide area. Gathers in small noisy parties to feed in fruiting trees and shrubs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Birdforum thread discussing why the scientific name of this species needed to change.
- Birdforum Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-headed Bulbul. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-headed_Bulbul
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
