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.
Taxonomy
The red-whiskered bulbul was formally described by
Carl Linnaeus in 1758 under the binomial name
Lanius jocosus.
The specific epithet is from
Latin ioculus meaning "merry" (from
iocus meaning "joke").
Linnaeus based his description on the
Sitta Chinensis that had been described in 1757 by the Swedish naturalist
Pehr Osbeck.
[ A translation into English of Dagbok öfwer en Ostindisk resa åren 1750, 1751, 1752 : Med anmårkningar uti naturkunnigheten, fråmmande folkslags språk.] Linnaeus specified the location as "China" but this was restricted to Hong Kong and
Guangdong by Herbert Girton Deignan in 1948.
The red-whiskered bulbul is now placed in the genus
Pycnonotus that was introduced by the German zoologist
Friedrich Boie in 1826.
Hybrids have been noted in captivity with the red-vented, white-eared, white-spectacled, black-capped and .
Subspecies
Nine
subspecies are recognized:
[
]
-
P. j. fuscicaudatus (John Gould, 1866) was originally described as a separate species and occurs in western and central India. It has a nearly complete breast band and no white tail tip.
-
P. j. abuensis (Hugh Whistler, 1931) occurs in north-western India and was described based on a specimen from Mount Abu that was pale with a broken breast band and no white tail tip.
-
P. j. pyrrhotis (Bonaparte, 1850) was originally described as a separate species in the genus Ixos and occurs in the Terai of northern India and Nepal. It is pale above with white tail tips and a widely separated breast band
-
P. j. emeria (Carl Linnaeus, 1758) was originally described as a separate species in the genus Motacilla.
[
]
-
P. j. whistleri Deignan, 1948 has a warm brown plumage above, a heavier bill and a shorter crest than P. j. emeria and occurs in the Andaman Islands
-
P. j. monticola (Thomas Horsfield, 1840) was originally described as a separate species in the genus Ixos. It has darker upperparts than P. j. pyrrhotis and is distributed from the eastern Himalayas to northern Myanmar and southern China
-
P. j. jocosus (Linnaeus, 1758) occurs in south-eastern China
-
P. j. hainanensis (Hachisuka, 1939): Found on Hainan Island (off south-eastern China)
-
P. j. pattani Deignan, 1948 occurs from southern Myanmar and northern Malay Peninsula through Thailand, southern Indochina and in Java and Sumatra
Description
The red-whiskered bulbul is about in length. It has brown upper-parts 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 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.
An Albinism red-whiskered bulbul has also been recorded.
The loud and evocative call is a sharp kink-a-joo (also transcribed as pettigrew or kick-pettigrew or pleased to meet you
Distribution and habitat
This is a bird of lightly wooded areas, more open country with bushes and shrubs, and farmland. have been noted from early times with Thomas C. Jerdon noting that they were "periodically visiting Madras and other wooded towns in large flocks."
It has established itself in Australia and in Los Angeles, Hawaii,
The red-whiskered bulbul was introduced by the Zoological and Acclimatization Society in 1880 to Sydney, became well established across the suburbs by 1920, and continued to spread slowly to around 100 km away. It is now also found in suburban Melbourne and Adelaide, although it is unclear how they got there.
Behaviour and ecology
On the island of Réunion, this species established itself and also aided the spread of alien plant species such as Rubus alceifolius. In Florida they feed on fruits and berries of as many as 24 exotic plants including loquat ( Eriobotrya japonica), Lantana spp., Brazilian pepper ( Schinus terebinthifolius) and figs ( Ficus).
Breeding
The breeding season is spread out and peaks from December to May in southern India and March to October in northern India.[) may feign injury to distract potential predators away from the nest.][ The chicks are psilopaedic (having down only in the pterylae).][
]
They defend territories of about during the breeding season.
Food and feeding
The red-whiskered bulbul feeds on fruits (including those of the yellow oleander that are toxic to mammals), nectar and insects.
Health
Several avian malaria parasites have been described from the species.[ . .]
In culture
This species was once a popular cage bird in parts of India. C. W. Smith noted
- These birds are in great request among the natives, being of a fearless disposition, and easily reclaimed. They are taught to sit on the hand, and numbers may thus be seen in any Indian bazaar.
The species continues to be a popular cagebird in parts of Southeast Asia.[
]
Other sources
-
Fraser, F.C. (1930). Note on the nesting habits of the Southern Red-whiskered Bulbul ( Otocompsa emeria fuscicaudata). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 34(1): 250–252.
External links
