Crested bulbul
The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus ), or crested bulbul, is a passerine bird native to Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It has a loud three or four note call, feeds on fruits and small insects and perches conspicuously on trees. It is common in hill forests and urban gardens.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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NectarivoreIn zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Red-whiskered bulbul is a frugivorous songbird native to Asia. It has brown upperparts and whitish underparts with buff flanks and a dark spur running onto the breast at shoulder level. It has a tall pointed black crest, red face patch, and thin black moustachial line. The tail of this bird is long and brown with white terminal feather tips, but the vent area is red. Juveniles lack the red patch behind the eye, and the vent area is rufous-orange.
Red-whiskered bulbuls are found in India, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam. These birds don’t migrate and prefer to live in lightly wooded areas, more open country with bushes and shrubs. They also occur in agricultural areas, suburbs, and urban areas.
When not nesting Red-whiskered bulbuls spend their days in flocks and roost communally in loose groups of a hundred or more birds. During the breeding period, they will defend territories of about 3,000 square meters (32,000 sq ft). Red-whiskered bulbuls are noisy birds. Their loud and evocative call is a sharp ‘kink-a-joo’ and the song is a scolding chatter. They are more often heard than seen, but will often perch conspicuously especially in the mornings when they call from the tops of trees.
Red-whiskered bulbuls are herbivores (frugivores, nectarivores) and carnivores (insectivores). They feed mainly on fruits including those of the yellow oleander that is toxic to mammals, berries, and nectar. Young birds feed on caterpillars and insects which are replaced by fruits and berries as they mature.
The breeding season of Red-whiskered bulbuls peaks from December to May in southern India and March to October in northern India. They may nest once or twice a year. During this time the males perform courtship display that involves head bowing, spreading the tail, and drooping wings. The nest of these birds is cup-shaped and is built on bushes, thatched walls, or small trees. It is woven of fine twigs, roots, and grasses, and embellished with large objects such as bark strips, paper, or plastic bags. Females usually lay 2 or 3 eggs that have a pale mauve ground color with speckles becoming blotches towards the broad end. Eggs take 12 days to hatch and both parents take part in raising their helpless chicks. The young typically fledge at about 14 to 18 days after hatching. Red-whiskered bulbuls have an interesting defensive behavior when they sense danger at the nest. Adults (possibly the female) may feign injury to distract potential predators away from the nest.
There are no major threats facing this species at present.
According to IUCN Red List, the Red-whiskered bulbul is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. National population sizes have been estimated at around 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in China and around 100-10,000 introduced breeding pairs in Japan. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...