Rainforest Birds- Red-vented Bulbul

Bird Name:

Red-vented Bulbul

Latin Name:

Pycnonotus cafer

Status:

Least Concern

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Pycnonotidae

Genus: Pycnonotus

Species: P. cafer

General information:

The Red-vented Bulbul is a song bird with a widespread range. While they are small in size, they do have an invasive, quarrelsome and sometimes aggressive posture. They can be damaging to crops and orchards. The genus is the largest of the Pycnonotidae family with 47 species.

Physical Description:

This species averages 20cm in length and has a long tail. Adults have black or brown upperparts with a white rump. The breast is also black or brown and the other underparts are white with red around the vent. The head and crest are black as well as their beaks. Sexes are similar in plumage and young birds are duller in color than the adults. The plumage does vary slightly by region. The outstanding characteristic of bulbuls is the hair-like, vaneless feathers at the nape. The flight of the Red-vented Bulbul is bouncy, similar to a woodpecker.

Diet:

The Red-vented Bulbul feeds primarily on fruit, nectar and insects. It is incapable of synthesizing Vitamin C .

Habitat:

Red-vented Bulbuls inhabit tropical areas in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Myanmar and Southwest China. They can be found in scrub, open forest, plains and cultivated lands. The species often prefers human settlements to the heavy jungle, and is common in urban parts of Dubai. They have also been introduced to Fiji and Hawaii. Nests are formed in bushes with deep cup shaped nests.

Reproduction:

Red-vented Bulbuls breed year round. The average clutch size is two to three eggs.