Bulbuls - Pycnonotidae
Bulbul Photo Gallery
Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) are a family of medium-sized passerine songbirds. Many forest species are known as greenbuls.
Range / Distribution:
The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia to Indonesia, and north as far as Japan. A few insular species occur on the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean.
There are about 130 species in around 24 genera. While some species are found in most habitats, overall African species are predominately found in rainforest whilst rainforest species are rare in Asia, instead preferring more open areas.
The only Bulbul which occurs in Europe was spotted in the Cyclades and bears a yellow patch, being otherwise of a snuffy brown ; and this is possibly the bird which has got mixed up with the nightingale in Eastern poetry, as it occurs in Palestine, and is there called Bulbul by the Arabs.
Description
Bulbuls are short-necked slender passerines. The tails are long and the wings short and rounded. In almost all species the bill is slightly elongated and slightly hooked at the end. They vary in length from 13 cm for the Tiny Greenbul to 29 cm in the Straw-headed Bulbul. Overall the sexes are alike, although the females tend to be slightly smaller. In a few species the differences are so great that they have been described as functionally different species. The soft plumage of some species is colorful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive brown to black plumage. Species with dull colored eyes often sport contrasting eyerings. Some have very distinct crests. Bulbuls are highly vocal, with the calls of most species being described as nasal or gravelly. One author described the song of the Brown-eared Bulbul as "the most unattractive noises made by any bird".
Bulbuls eat a wide range of different foods, ranging from fruit to seeds, nectar, small insects and other arthropods and even small vertebrates. The majority of species are frugivorous and supplement their diet with some insects, whilst there is a significant minority of specialists, particularly in Africa. Open country species in particular are generalists.
The bulbuls are generally monogamous. One unusual exception is the Yellow-whiskered Greenbul which at least over part of its range appears to be polygamous and engage in a lekking system. Some species also have alloparenting arrangements, where non-breeders, usually the young from earlier clutches, help raise the young of a dominant breeding pair. Up to five purple-pink eggs are laid in an open tree nests and incubated by the female. Incubation usually lasts between 11-14 days, and chicks fledge after 12-16 days.
Relationship to humans
The Red-whiskered Bulbuls and Red-vented Bulbuls have been captured for the pet trade in great numbers and, has been widely introduced to tropical and subtropical areas, for example southern Florida, Fiji, Australia and Hawaii. Some species are regarded as crop pests, particularly in orchards.
In general bulbuls and greenbuls are resistant to human pressures on the environment and are tolerant of disturbed habitat. Around 13 species are considered threatened by human activities, mostly specialised forest species threatened by habitat loss.
Species:
Basal
- Genus Calyptocichla
- Golden Greenbul, Calyptocichla serina : The Golden Greenbul is brightly colored for a greenbul due to its bright yellow belly and white throat; otherwise it is not particularly distinct in plumage, with unmarked olive upperparts, tail and wings. It has a long slender pinkish-brown bill, a feature not shared by other greenbuls. The species is confined to forests in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it is common
Typical bulbuls
- Genus Pycnonotus - paraphyletic (= some, but not all, of the descendants from a common ancestor)
- "Ancient" Asian bulbuls
- Black-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus atriceps : The Black-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus atriceps) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in forests in south-east Asia. It has a mainly olive-yellow plumage with a glossy bluish-black head. A grey morph where most of the olive-yellow is replaced by grey also exists. The distinctive taxon from the Andamans has most of the head olive, and is increasingly treated as a separate species, the Andaman Bulbul (P. fuscoflavescens). The Black-headed Bulbul resembles the Black-crested Bulbul, but has blue eyes (though not reliable in juveniles), a broad yellow tip to the tail, and never shows a crest (however, some subspecies of the Black-crested are also essentially crestless, but they have red or yellow throats). The Black-headed Bulbul mainly feeds on small fruit and berries, but will also take insects. It commonly occurs in small flocks, comprising 6-8 individuals.
- Stripe-throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus finlaysoni : The Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni) is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Red-whiskered Bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus
- Brown-breasted Bulbul, Pycnonotus xanthorrhous
- Puff-backed Bulbul, Pycnonotus eutilotus : The Puff-backed Bulbul (Pycnonotus eutilotus) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Black-and-white Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanoleucus: The Black-and-white Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanoleucos) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Pycnonotus proper
- Black-crested Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanicterus
- Grey-bellied Bulbul, Pycnonotus cyaniventris: The Grey-bellied Bulbul (Pycnonotus cyaniventris) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Spectacled Bulbul, Pycnonotus erythropthalmos : The Spectacled Bulbul or Lesser Brown Bulbul (Pycnonotus erythropthalmos) is a bulbul. It is also known in Malay as Merbah Kecil. It is endemic to southeast Asia.
- Straw-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus zeylanicus
- Red-eyed Bulbul, Pycnonotus brunneus
- Olive-winged Bulbul, Pycnonotus plumosus
- Yellow-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus goiavier
- Black-fronted Bulbul, Pycnonotus nigricans
- White-cheeked Bulbul, Pycnonotus leucogenys
Disputed- Common Bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus
- Unassigned
- Striated Bulbul, Pycnonotus striatus : The Striated Bulbul (Pycnonotus striatus) is a songbird found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Burma, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Cream-striped Bulbul, Pycnonotus leucogrammicus : The Cream-striped Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogrammicus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Spot-necked Bulbul, Pycnonotus tympanistrigus : The Spot-necked Bulbul (Pycnonotus tympanistrigus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Grey-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus priocephalus
- Styan's or Taiwan Bulbul, Pycnonotus taivanus
- Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Pycnonotus squamatus : The Scaly-breasted Bulbul (Pycnonotus squamatus) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Light-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus sinensis
- Cape Bulbul, Pycnonotus capensis (type species)
- White-spectacled Bulbul, Pycnonotus xanthopygos
- White-eared Bulbul, Pycnonotus leucotis
- Red-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer
- Sooty-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus aurigaster
- Blue-wattled Bulbul, Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii (disputed): The Blue-wattled Bulbul (Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii) is a songbird found in Brunei and Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Yellow-wattled Bulbul, Pycnonotus urostictus : The Yellow-wattled Bulbul (Pycnonotus urostictus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Orange-spotted Bulbul, Pycnonotus bimaculatus
- Yellow-throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus xantholaemus
- Yellow-eared Bulbul, Pycnonotus penicillatus
- Flavescent Bulbul, Pycnonotus flavescens : The Flavescent Bulbul (Pycnonotus flavescens) is a songbird found in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- White-browed Bulbul, Pycnonotus luteolus
- Streak-eared Bulbul, Pycnonotus blanfordi: The Streak-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus blanfordi) is a songbird found in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Cream-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus simplex
- Genus Spizixos
- Crested Finchbill, Spizixos canifrons : The Crested Finchbill (Spizixos canifrons) is a songbird found in Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Collared Finchbill, Spizixos semitorques
- Genus Tricholestes
- Hairy-backed Bulbul, Tricholestes criniger : The Hairy-backed Bulbul (Tricholestes criniger) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is monotypic (one single species) within the genus Tricholestes. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Genus Setornis
- Hook-billed Bulbul, Setornis criniger : The Hook-billed Bulbul (Setornis criniger) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is monotypic (one single species) within the genus Setornis. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Genus Alophoixus - formerly included in Criniger, possibly polyphyletic (derived from more than one ancestral type)
- Finsch's Bulbul, Alophoixus finschii : The Finsch's Bulbul (Alophoixus finschii) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- White-throated Bulbul, Alophoixus flaveolus
- Puff-throated Bulbul, Alophoixus pallidus : The Puff-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus pallidus) is a songbird found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Ochraceous Bulbul, Alophoixus ochraceus : The Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus) is a songbird found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Gray-cheeked Bulbul, Alophoixus bres : The Grey-cheeked Bulbul (Alophoixus bres) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Yellow-bellied Bulbul, Alophoixus phaeocephalus : The Yellow-bellied Bulbul (Alophoixus phaeocephalus) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Golden Bulbul, Alophoixus affinis : The Golden Bulbul (Alophoixus affinis) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Genus Iole
- Olive Bulbul, Iole virescens : The Olive Bulbul (Iole virescens) is a songbird found in Bangladesh, India, Burma, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Grey-eyed Bulbul, Iole propinqua : The Grey-eyed Bulbul (Iole propinqua) is a songbird found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Buff-vented Bulbul, Iole olivacea
- Yellow-browed Bulbul, Iole indica : The Yellow-browed Bulbul, Iole indica, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in the hills of Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of India and in small pockets of the Eastern Ghats of India. CallsThis is a bird of moist secondary growth. Despite its restricted range, it is quite readily found at sites such as Kitulgala and Sinharaja in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats. It builds its platform nest low in a tree; two or three eggs is a typical clutch. The Yellow-browed Bulbul is about 20cm (7 inches) in length, with a long tail. It has olive upperparts and bright yellow underparts. The dark bill and eye contrast with the yellow around the eye. Sexes are similar in plumage, but young birds are duller than adults, especially on the face and flanks. The flight is bouncing and woodpecker-like. Yellow-browed Bulbuls feed on fruit and insects.
- Genus Hemixos
- Ashy Bulbul, Hemixos flavalaL The Ashy Bulbul (Hemixos flavala) is a songbird found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Chestnut Bulbul, Hemixos castanonotus
- Genus Ixos - paraphyletic (= some, but not all, of the descendants from a common ancestor)
- Close to Hemixos
- Streaked Bulbul, Ixos malaccensis : The Streaked Bulbul (Ixos malaccensis) is a songbird found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Unassigned
- Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, Ixos palawanensis - Hypsipetes? : The Sulphur-bellied Bulbul (Ixos palawanensis) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Streak-breasted Bulbul, Ixos siquijorensis - Hypsipetes? : The Streak-breasted Bulbul or Bulbul De Siquijor (Ixos siquijorensis) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Yellowish Bulbul, Ixos everetti : The Yellowish Bulbul (Ixos everetti) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Zamboanga Bulbul, Ixos rufigularis: The Zamboanga Bulbul (Ixos rufigularis) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Mountain Bulbul, Ixos mcclellandii
- Sunda Bulbul, Ixos virescens: The Sunda Bulbul or Green-winged Bulbul (Ixos virescens) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia where it occurs on Sumatra and Java. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
- Genus Microscelis
- Brown-eared Bulbul, Microscelis amaurotis (sometimes included in Ixos)
- Genus Hypsipetes
- Philippine Bulbul, Hypsipetes philippinus - formerly in Ixos : The Philippine Bulbul (Ixos philippinus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Madagascar Bulbul, Hypsipetes madagascariensis
- Black Bulbul, Hypsipetes leucocephalus
- Seychelles Bulbul, Hypsipetes crassirostris
- Comoro Bulbul, Hypsipetes parvirostris: The Comoro Bulbul (Hypsipetes parvirostris) is a songbird found in Comoros and Mayotte. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
- Reunion Bulbul, Hypsipetes borbonicus : The Réunion Bulbul (Hypsipetes borbonicus), also known as Olivaceous Bulbul is a passerine endemic to Réunion. Contents. It looks similar to the Mauritius Bulbul but with 22 cm it is slightly smaller. It is ashy gray with a blackish crest. The iris is conspicuous white. Bill and feet have an orange hue. Its diet is primarily frugivorous. Especially in February and March it comes from higher elevations where it inhabits second growth moist forests to the valleys and feeds on the ripe guavas. Nectar, insects and small lizards enrich its range of food. The female lays two eggs in a cup-shaped nest during the southern summer. It is quite uncommon due to the competition of the Red-whiskered Bulbul and poaching. In the earlier days of Réunion it was hunted and served as a dish which was compared with the Ortolan Bunting. Even in the 1970s it was a game-bird. It is also kept as pet.
- Mauritius Bulbul, Hypsipetes olivaceus : The Mauritius Bulbul (Hypsipetes olivaceus), also known as Mauritius Black Bulbul, is a passerine endemic to Mauritius. It can reach a size up to 24 cm. It is characterized by bright yellow-brown eyes, pink legs, and an orange to yellow hued bill. Its plumage is generally greyish contrasted with a black crest. Its diet consists of insects, seeds, and fruits. Especially the ripe berries of Lantana camara are favoured. During the southern summer the female lays two pinkish eggs in a nest consisting of straw and roots. The incubation lasts between 14 and 16 days. The plumage of the juveniles is pale brown. Their bill is blackish. In earlier times it was often a dish on festive days. In the mid-1970s only 200 pairs have survived due to the replacement of their forested habitats by tea plantations, the hunting by introduced macaques and the decline of their host plants due to the competition of invasive plants. Today it is regarded as rare on a stable level. 280 pairs were counted in 1993. [edit] References Staub, France (1976), Birds of the Mascarenes and Saint Brandon, LABAMA HOUSE, Port Louis, Mauritius BirdLife International (2006). Hypsipetes olivaceus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 5 September 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of vulnerable
- Nicobar Bulbul, Hypsipetes virescens: The Nicobar Bulbul (Hypsipetes nicobariensis) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to India. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.
- White-headed Bulbul, Hypsipetes thompsoni :The White-headed Bulbul (Hypsipetes thompsoni) is a songbird found in Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.
References
- Beresford, P.; Barker, F.K.; Ryan, P.G. & Crowe, T.M. (2005): African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): molecular systematics of several evolutionary 'enigmas'. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 272(1565): 849–858. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2004.2997 PDF fulltext Electronic appendix
- Cibois, Alice; Slikas, Beth; Schulenberg, Thomas S. & Pasquet, Eric (2001): An endemic radiation of Malagasy songbirds is revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Evolution 55(6): 1198-1206. DOI:10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055[1198:AEROMS]2.0.CO;2 PDF fulltext
- Delacour, J. (1943): A revision of the genera and species of the family Pycnonotidae (bulbuls). Zoologica 28(1): 17-28.
- Fishpool L. & Tobias J. (2005) "Family Pycnonotidae (Bulbuls) in del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2005). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 10: Cuckoo-Shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 8487334725
- Moyle, Robert G. & Marks, Ben D. (2006): Phylogenetic relationships of the bulbuls (Aves: Pycnonotidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40(3): Pages 687-695. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.04.015 (HTML abstract)
- Pasquet, Éric; Han, Lian-Xian; Khobkhet, Obhas & Cibois, Alice (2001): Towards a molecular systematics of the genus Criniger, and a preliminary phylogeny of the bulbuls (Aves, Passeriformes, Pycnonotidae). Zoosystema 23(4): 857-863. PDF fulltext
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