- Pycnonotus aurigaster
Identification
- Short crest
- Black lores and face
- Brown upperparts
- White rump
- White underparts
Juveniles similar but the head is browner and the vent is paler
Variations
Vent area varies from yellow, through orange to red, depending on the subspecies.
Distribution
Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 9 subspecies[1]:
- P.a.chrysorrhoides: South China (Fujian, eastern Guangdong and Hong Kong)
- P.a.resurrectus: South China (Guangdong and Naozhou Island); northern Vietnam
- P.a.dolichurus: Central Vietnam (Quangtri and Thuathien provinces)
- P.a.latouchei: South West China to northern Thailand, northern Laos and northern Vietnam
- P.a.klossi: South East Burma to northern Thailand
- P.a.schauenseei: South Burma to south-western Thailand
- P.a.thais: South Thailand
- P.a.germani: South East Thailand to southern Indochina
- P.a.aurigaster: Java and Bali; introduced Singapore, Sumatra and southern Sulawesi
Habitat
Cultivated and grassy areas, scrub, second growth, forest clearings, woods, towns and gardens.
Behaviour
Diet
They forage in pairs during the breeding season. They are generalist and opportunistic feeders. There is no information on their actual diet, but is likely to be similar to Red-vented Bulbul, with fruit an nectar featuring.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2018)
- Singapore Bird Project
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Sooty-headed Bulbul. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Sooty-headed_Bulbul
