Collared finchbill

Spizixos semitorques

Photo by Jon Hornbuckle (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
collared finchbill (en); tuta-de-coleira-interrompida (pt); bulbul à semi-collier (fr); bulbul collarejo (es); halsbandbülbül (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family  Pycnonotidae

Range:
This species is found in central and south-eastern China, as well as in Taiwan and marginally into northern Vietnam.

Size:
These birds are 17-23 cm long and weigh 35-50 g.

Habitat:
The collared finchbill is mostly found in temperate and tropical forests, especially along forest edges, but also in scrublands, savannas, secondary forests and within urban areas. It is present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mostly on fruits and berries, but also take seeds and insects, especially beetles.

Breeding:
Collared finchbills breed in April-August. The nest is bowl-shaped and made of dry grasses, stems, leaves and fine roots. It is usually placed at the tip of a branch, most often on a tree, but sometimes also on a scrub. The female lays 2-4 white, light brown or pale yellow eggs with reddish-brown and purple spots. The eggs are incubated for 10-12 days and the chicks fledge 13 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the population in China, which represents most of the global population, has been estimated at 20.000-200.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Yellow-bellied greenbul

Chlorocichla flaviventris

Photo by Ian White (Flickr)

Common name:
yellow-bellied greenbul (en); tuta-amarelo (pt); bulbul à poitrine jaune (fr); bulbul de vientre amarillo (es); gelbbauchbülbül (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from Angola and northern Namibia in the west, through southern D.R. Congo and Zambia and into Kenya, southern Somalia, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 20-22 cm long and weigh 32-52 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-bellied greenbul is found in tropical forests and scrublands, especially areas of thick undergrowth in clearings in riverine and coastal forests, but also in dry miombo and mopane savannas, rural gardens, mangroves and semi-arid scrublands.

Diet:
They mainly eat fruits, but also seeds, flowers and insects. They are also known to take ticks from mammals such as impalas.

Breeding:
Yellow-bellied greenbuls breed in September-March. The nest is a fragile, thin-walled cup built of tendrils, twigs, dry grass and other plant fibres, typically attached with spider web to the foliage of a sapling, scrub or creeper. The female lays 1-3 eggs, which she incubates alone for 14 days. The chicks are fed and brooded by both parents and fledge 16-18 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as widespread and generally common. The population in Mozambique has been estimated at 40.000 individuals, but represents only a small part of the global range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Black-fronted bulbul

Pycnonotus nigricans

Photo by Hans Hillewaert (Wikipedia)

Common name:
black-fronted bulbul (en); tuta-de-olhos-vermelhos (pt); bulbul brunoir (fr); bulbul encapuchado (es); maskenbülbül (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Africa, from southern Angola and Zambia down to South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 21 cm long and weigh around 30 g.

Habitat:
The black-fronted bulbul is found in a wide variety of arid and semi-arid habitats, such Acacia savanna and dry scrublands, but also in riparian vegetation along rivers and streams and in rural gardens and orchards in arid areas.

Diet:
They mainly eat fruits and nectar, but also flowers and some arthropods.

Breeding:
Black-fronted bulbuls are monogamous, territorial nesters. They breed in September-April with the female building the nest, an untidy cup of fine twigs, dry grass and other small plant fibres, reinforced with spider web. It is usually concealed in the fork of a scrub or tree. The female lays 2-3 eggs, which she incubates alone for 11-13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and leave the nest 12 days after hatching, but are only able to fly competently 1 week later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common and widely distributed. The population is suspected to be increasing as this species benefits from the provision of water for livestock and thrives in gardens and orchards.

Red-vented bulbul

Pycnonotus cafer

Photo by J.M. Garg (Wikipedia)

Common name:
red-vented bulbul (en); tuta-de-ventre-vermelho (pt); bulbul à ventre rouge (fr); bulbul de ventrirrojo (es); rußbülbül (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae

Range:
This species originates from the Indian sub-continent, being found throughout India and Sri Lanka, in eastern Pakistan and Afghanistan, in Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and marginally into southern China. This species has been introduced in several islands in the Pacific, such as Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga and Hawaii, also in New Zealand and in the Arabian Peninsula in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and The United Arab Emirates.

Size:
These birds are 20 cm long and weigh 26-45 g.

Habitat:
The red-vented bulbul is found in a wide range of habitats including tropical and subtropical dry forests and scrublands, rural gardens, plantations and urban areas.

Diet:
They mainly eat fruits, but also flowers, leaves and nectar of a wide range of plants, namely Solanaceae, Moraceae, Papilionaceae, Verbenaceae, Bombacaceae and Cucurbitaceae. They are also known to occasionally eat geckos.

Breeding:
Red-vented bulbuls can breed all year round, with a peak in January-October. the nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a small flat cup made of twigs, roots and grasses. It is placed in a fork in a tree, up to 4 m above the ground. The female lays 2-4 pink eggs with purple or reddish-brown blotches, which are incubated for 10-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 12 days after hatching. Each pair may raise up to 3 clutches per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the red-vented bulbul is described as generally common, being abundant in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and rare in southern China. The population is estimated to be increasing following a recorded range expansion owing to the spread of irrigation. This species has also been introduced in several areas outside their native range, where they become a problem as an invasive species.

Himalayan bulbul

Pycnonotus leucogenys

Photo by Jerome Boisard (Flickr)

Common name:
Himalayan bulbul (en); tuta-de-faces-brancas (pt); bulbul à joues blanches (fr); bulbul de mejillas blancas (es); weißohrbülbül (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae

Range:
This species is found along the southern foothills of the Himalayas, in Bhutan, Nepal, northern India, northern Pakistan and marginally into Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Size:
These birds are 18-20 cm long and have a wingspan of 25-28 cm. They weigh around 30 g.

Habitat:
They are mainly found in tropical and sub-tropical moist forests and scrublands, but also in rural gardens and even within urban areas. The Himalayan bulbul is present at altitudes of 300-2.400 m.

Diet:
These birds are omnivorous, eating insects such as ants, grubs and beetles, and other invertebrates, as well as fruits, berries, seeds, buds and nectar.

Breeding:
Himalayan bulbuls breed in March-August. The nest is a small cup made of dry stems, grasses and shreds of vegetable fibres, and lined with finer materials such as dry grass stems or grass roots. It is placed on a thorny scrub or low tree branch, up to 2 m above the ground. There the female lays 3 pinkish eggs with red speckles, which are incubated for 12 days. The chicks fledge 9-11 days after hatching. Each pair may raise 2-3 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the Himalayan bulbul is described as generally common to abundant. The population is suspected to be increasing as the species benefits from deforestation.

Black bulbul

Hypsipetes leucocephalus

Photo by Irene Ho (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
black bulbul (en); tuta-preta (pt); bulbul noir (fr); bulbul nero (es); schwarzfluchtvogel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae


Range:
This species is found in southern Asia, with one population in western India and Sri Lanka and another from northern India and Pakistan, through the Himalayas and into southern China and Indochina.


Size:
These birds are 24-25 cm long and weigh 34-40 g.


Habitat:
The black bulbul is mostly found in tropical moist forests, but also in second growths and rural gardens. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 3.200 m.


Diet:
They mainly feed on seeds, insects and berries, but also eat the nectar of various flowers.


Breeding:
Black bulbuls breed in February-June. The nest is a cup made of grasses, dry leaves, mosses, lichens and spider webs, lined with ferns and rootlets and placed in a fork in a tree or scrub. The female lays 2-3 eggs, which are incubated for 12-13 days. The chicks fledge 11-12 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and described as generally fairly common to very common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Sombre greenbul

Andropadus importunus

Photo by Carmelo López (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
sombre greenbul (en); tuta-sombria (pt); bulbul importun (fr); bulbul sombrío (es); schlichtbülbül (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae


Range:
This species is found in eastern Africa, from Kenya, through eastern Tanzania and Mozambique and into Zimbabwe and eastern and southern South Africa.


Size:
These birds are 15-18 cm long and weigh around 26 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly found in dry scrublands, usually near the coast, but can also be found in dry savanna, forest, moist scrubland, rivers, bogs, marshes, agricultural land and urban areas.


Diet:
Sombre greenbuls mostly eat fruits, namely those of Azima tetracantha, Carissa, Cussonia, Ficus, Hippobromus pauciflorus, Rhus, Scutia myrtina, Sideroxylon inerme, Viscum and Lantana camara. They also eat succulent leaves, flowers, buds and nectar of Aloe and sometimes hunt insects and snails.


Breeding:
These birds breed in September-April. The female builds the nest alone, consisting of an open, flimsy cup made of rootlets, twigs, grass and other plant material. It is usually placed in a fork of or at the end of a tree or bush branch, 1-4 m above the ground. There she lays 1-3 white eggs with brown markings, which she incubates alone for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed and brooded by both parents and fledge 10-14 days after hatching, but only become fully independent a few weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
The sombre greenbul has a very large breeding range and is reported to be abundant along the coast and common inland. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Grey-headed bulbul

Pycnonotus priocephalus

Photo by Ramki Sreenivasan (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
grey-headed bulbul (en); tuta-de-cabeça-cinzenta (pt); bulbul colombar (fr); bulbul de cabeza gris (es); graukopfbülbül (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae


Range:
This species is endemic to south-west India, being found in the Western Ghats and Palni Hills, between Goa and Tamil Nadu.


Size:
These birds are 14-15 cm long and weigh 14-19 g.


Habitat:
Grey-headed bulbuls are mostly found in moist broadleaved forests with dense undergrowth and bamboo stands. During the breeding season they are generally restricted to altitudes of 700-1.400 m, while outside the breeding season they move down to lower altitudes.


Diet:
They mostly eat berries and fruits, but also take a some insects.


Breeding:
Grey-headed bulbuls breed in January-May. The nest is a platform made of vines, grasses, moss and green leaves, placed in a bamboo stand, 0,5-5 m above the ground. There the female lays 1-2 eggs which are incubated for 12-14 days. The chicks fledge 11-13 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-threatened)
This species has a restricted breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the population is thought to occur at low densities in suitable habitat which is patchily distributed throughout its range. The population is believed to be undergoing a moderately rapid decline, caused by habitat loss and degradation as forest are converted into plantations, reservoirs, crops and human settlements. Only 20% of the natural forest vegetation of the Western Ghats remains intact, and it is highly fragmented. Extensive extraction of bamboos is also an important factor causing population decline.