Black-capped Bulbul
Rubigula melanictera
Medium-sized greenish bird with a bright yellow underside and black head. Occurs in a variety of habitats, wherever there are trees, including forest, open woodlands, and gardens, in the lowlands and foothills. Usually encountered in pairs or small groups. Yellow throat and lack of black in the wing separates this species from Black-hooded Oriole. Unmarked, black head identifies Black-capped Bulbul from Yellow-eared and Yellow-browed Bulbuls. Song is series of warbling whistles, rising at the end, “wet-wet-wet-wer-wer-wer-weer.” Also gives churring calls.
Identification
The black-capped bulbul is virtually crestless and has a yellow throat and brownish eyes. It is yellowish green above and yellow below. The tail is brownish and ends in a white tip. The male has red irides and the female has brown irides. Calls include a broad repertoire of sweet, mellow, minor-key piping whistles and sharper calls. Breeding records are from March to September.
Taxonomy
The black-capped bulbul was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the flycatchers in the genus Muscicapa and coined the binomial name Muscicapa melanictera. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with ikteros meaning "jaundice-yellow". Gmelin based his description on the "yellow-breasted fly-catcher" from Sri Lanka that had been described and illustrated in 1776 by the English naturalist Peter Brown.<p>The black-capped bulbul was formerly placed in the genus Pycnonotus. A molecular phylogenetic study of the bulbul family published in 2017 found that Pycnonotus was polyphyletic. In the revision to the generic classification the black-capped bulbul and four other species were moved from Pycnonotus to Rubigula.Until 2008, the black-capped bulbul was considered as conspecific with the black-crested, ruby-throated, flame-throated and Bornean bulbuls. Some authorities have considered the ruby-throated, flame-throated and Bornean bulbuls to be subspecies of the black-capped bulbul.
- Scientific name
- Rubigula melanictera
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Rubigula
Range and habitat
This is a bird of forest and dense scrub. It builds its nest in a bush; two to four eggs is a typical clutch. The black-capped bulbul feeds on fruit and insects. Found in forests, wooded areas and in gardens. Usually found in pairs.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Icterus graduacauda
Entirely yellow body with greenish back and black hood. Young birds slightly paler than adults; they develop black hood within a couple months of hatching. Tends to be more secretive than other orioles. A Mexican species with limited U.S. range. Most similar to Scott's Oriole but note greenish, not black, back; range does not overlap. Found in wooded habitats with dense brushy undergrowth. Sometimes visits feeders for fruit and seed. Song a slow series of low-pitched whistles.
Vogelkop Bowerbird
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Tawny Grassbird
Cincloramphus timoriensis
Large songbird, tawny with streaking above, paler below, with rich brown crown and long, graduated tail. In similar grassland and reedbed habitats, smaller Golden-headed Cisticola has much shorter tail, Little Grassbird is duller in plumage, and Australian Reed-Warbler has plain, unstreaked plumage. Calls often, with loud, grumpy churring calls and a longer call that starts “tick-tick-tick-tick” and ends with an explosive descending trill.
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