Red-whiskered bulbul
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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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The specific epithet is from Latin ioculus meaning "merry" (from iocus meaning "joke").<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Linnaeus based his description on the Sitta Chinensis that had been described in 1757 by the Swedish naturalist Pehr Osbeck.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book A translation into English of Dagbok öfwer en Ostindisk resa åren 1750, 1751, 1752 : Med anmårkningar uti naturkunnigheten, fråmmande folkslags språk.</ref> Linnaeus specified the location as "China" but this was restricted to Hong Kong and Guangdong by Herbert Girton Deignan in 1948.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The red-whiskered bulbul is now placed in the genus Pycnonotus that was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=ioc>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hybrids have been noted in captivity with the red-vented, white-eared, white-spectacled, black-capped and Himalayan bulbuls.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Subspecies
Nine subspecies are recognized:<ref name=ioc/>
- P. j. fuscicaudatus (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 (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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>)
- 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 (Linnaeus, 1758) was originally described as a separate species in the genus Motacilla.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is warm brown above with a slim bill and a long crest. It occurs from eastern India to south-western Thailand and was also introduced into Florida<ref name=florida/>
- 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 (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 Template:Convert 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.Template:Cn
An albino red-whiskered bulbul has also been recorded.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The loud and evocative call is a sharp kink-a-joo (also transcribed as pettigrew or kick-pettigrew or pleased to meet you<ref name=hbk>Template:Cite book</ref>) 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. The life span is about 11 years in captivity.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Distribution and habitat
This is a bird of lightly wooded areas, more open country with bushes and shrubs, and farmland. Irruptions have been noted from early times with Thomas C. Jerdon noting that they were "periodically visiting Madras and other wooded towns in large flocks."<ref name=jerdon>Template:Cite book</ref>
It has established itself in Australia and in Los Angeles, Hawaii,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and Florida<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> in the United States, as well as in Mauritius, on Assumption Island<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and Mascarene Islands.<ref name=spread>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Florida, it is only found in a small area, and its population could be extirpated easily.<ref name="Rising"/> It was eradicated from Assumption Island in 2013–2015 to prevent colonisation of nearby Aldabra, the largest introduced bird-free tropical island.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In Mauritius they aid the dispersal of Ligustrum robustum and Clidemia hirta. Seeds that pass through their gut germinate better.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Populations of the red-whiskered bulbul on the island of Réunion have diversified in the course of thirty years and show visible variations in bill morphology according to the food resources that they have adapted to utilize.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Breeding
The breeding season is spread out and peaks from December to May in southern India and March to October in northern India.<ref name=rasmussen>Template:Cite book</ref> Breeding may occur once or twice a year.<ref name="Begbie"/> The courtship display of the male involves head bowing, spreading the tail and drooping wings.<ref name="Begbie"/> The nest 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.<ref name="Rising">Template:Cite book</ref> Clutches typically contain two or three eggs.<ref name="Begbie"/> Adults (possibly the female<ref name=hbk/>) may feign injury to distract potential predators away from the nest.<ref name="Begbie">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The eggs have a pale mauve ground colour with speckles becoming blotches towards the broad end. Eggs measure 21 mm and are 16 mm wide.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Eggs take 12 days to hatch. Both parents take part in raising the young. Young birds are fed on caterpillars and insects which are replaced by fruits and berries as they mature.<ref name=hbk/> The chicks are psilopaedic (having down only in the pterylae).<ref name=florida>Template:Cite journal</ref> Eggs and chicks may be preyed on by the greater coucal and crows.<ref name=hbk/>
They defend territories of about Template:Cvt during the breeding season.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They roost communally in loose groups of a hundred or more birds.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Food and feeding
The red-whiskered bulbul feeds on fruits (including those of the yellow oleander that are toxic to mammals), nectar and insects.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Health
Several avian malaria parasites have been described from the species.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Plasmodium jiangi was first discovered by He and Huang (1993) in this host, in southeast China.<ref name="Downs-Hart-2020">Template:Cite book Template:ISBN. Template:ISBN.</ref>
In culture
This species was once a popular cage bird in parts of India. C. W. Smith noted<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> that
- 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.<ref name=spread/>
