Flame-throated Bulbul
Rubigula gularis
Yellow bulbul with a black head, a bright red throat, and pale eyes. Endemic to the Western Ghats, where it can often be found in scrubby foothill forest, as well as overgrown and degraded forest edge. Moves in flocks; often sticks close to cover. Song is pleasant and simple: a series of short and mellow warbling notes.
Identification
The flame-throated bulbul is about 18 cm long with an olive-green back and yellow underparts, a squarish black head without a crest, an orange-red throat. The iris is white and contrasts with the dark head. The legs are brown and the gape is yellowish-pink. The bill is dark brown to black. The plumage of young birds has not been described.
Taxonomy
The species was described by John Gould in December 1835 (but published in 1836) based on a specimen in the Zoological Society of London that had been obtained from Travancore State. Gould noted that it was very similar to Brachypus dispar (now Rubigula dispar) that had been described by Thomas Horsfield and placed the new species likewise in the genus Brachypus as B. gularis. Viscount Walden suggested that this had already been described by Jerdon as Brachypus rubineus and called the "ruby-throated bulbul" (although this name was published later). This was subsequently included as a subspecies of a larger number of similar bulbuls in the Asian region under a broadly circumscribed Pycnonotus melanicterus. With a resurgence in the application of the phylogenetic species concept, the isolated population in the Western Ghats of India was separated as the flame-throated bulbul. The crested populations in the Eastern Ghats and Himalayas that lack the red throat which were treated as subspecies flaviventris were also elevated into full species as Pycnonotus flaviventris. Pycnonotus melanicterus in this newer and narrower circumscription followed by Pamela Rasmussen in Birds of South Asia (2005) and the Handbook of the Birds of the World (2005) only included the Sri Lankan population which was referred to as the black-capped bulbul. A 2017 study noted that the Western Ghats P. gularis and Sri Lankan P. melanicterus were closely related within a clade (the age of divergence from the common ancestor of its sister clades, however, has not been estimated in the study) that includes P. montis, P. dispar, and P. flaviventris leading to a placement of these species in a new genus Rubigula.
- Scientific name
- Rubigula gularis
- Authority
- (Gould, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Rubigula
Range and habitat
The flame-throated bulbul is found in the Western Ghats from southern Maharashtra and Goa southwards. It is a bird of forest that is only rarely seen at the edges of forests or inside coffee plantations.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The flame-throated bulbul keeps in small flocks and feeds on berries, including those of Lantana sp. It inhabits evergreen forests often along streams and valleys. The flame-throated bulbul feeds on fruit and insects, sometimes in mixed species foraging flocks.<p>Populations appear to move seasonally within the Western Ghats.<p>The breeding season is mostly from February to April. The nest is a small cup, placed in undergrowth from 1 to 3 metres from the ground level and is usually made of yellowing leaves bound with cobwebs and can easily be mistaken for a wind-blown accumulation of dry leaves.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Short-toed Rock-Thrush
Monticola brevipes
A small, compact rock-thrush with short legs. The male has a gray back and a diagnostic pearly blue-gray crown. Although some individuals (particularly farther east) have darker crowns, they retain the pale eyebrow, always giving the head a two-toned appearance. The female is differentiated from other rock-thrushes by her squat shape and white throat bordered by dark stipples. Pairs and loose groups inhabit rocky country in arid bushlands, where they perch conspicuously on taller bushes, wires, and poles. The male Sentinel Rock-Thrush has a more upright posture than Short-toed Rock-Thrush, with uniform blue-gray head coloration that extends lower on the breast. The male Cape Rock-Thrush is much larger and has a brown back.
Pale-billed Sicklebill
Drepanornis bruijnii
A large, long-billed bird of lowland forest. Brown upperparts with black head and grayish facial skin behind the eye. Note the curved, pale bill. Male has a black throat, sides and two small, hornlike tufts on the head. Female has pale underparts with dark barring. Similar to female Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise and Magnificent Riflebird, but female Pale-billed Sicklebill has a longer, thinner, more curved bill. One of several vocalizations, a descending series of low whistles, reminiscent of Common Potoo.
Hooded Parrot
Psephotellus dissimilis
A slender and long-tailed parrot restricted to a relatively small range in the Northern Territory, where it inhabits open woodlands. Male a striking turquoise color with black cap, yellow wings, rosy undertail coverts, and olive back. Female primarily pale green with turquoise underparts except for rosy undertail coverts. Slenderer and longer-tailed than Red-winged Parrot and Northern Rosella, with bright yellow shoulders obvious in flight. This species digs tunnels in termite mounds in order to breed. Calls include a sharp "chit."
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.