Cinereous Bulbul

Hemixos cinereus

Large dull bulbul with a bright white throat and a low, bushy crest. Gray-brown above and smudgy white below, with a grayish wash on the breast. Note distinctive squared-off dark patch between eye, throat, and bill base. Mainland birds have fairly dark upperparts, while Bornean birds are paler above, with yellowish-green wings and tails. Primarily inhabits montane and submontane broadleaf evergreen forests, though occasionally also in lowland areas. Sociable, often occurring in both single- and mixed-species flocks, particularly around fruiting trees. Not very musical, but vocally varied, giving nasal, plaintive “wheers”, high-pitched “deees”, and repetitive, colorless “djeer, djeer, djeer.”

Identification

The cinereous bulbul (Hemixos cinereus) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

Taxonomy

The cinereous bulbul was originally classified in the genus Iole. It was formerly considered as conspecific with the ashy bulbul.<p>Two subspecies are currently recognized:

Scientific name
Hemixos cinereus
Authority
(Blyth, 1845)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Pycnonotidae
Genus
Hemixos

Range and habitat

Migration
Vertical migration

Behavior

Migration pattern: Vertical migration.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Striped Kingfisher

Striped Kingfisher

Halcyon chelicuti

A small and dainty woodland-dwelling kingfisher with powder-blue tail and flight feathers, creamy collar, dark eye-stripe, and streaky brown crown. Singles and pairs are inconspicuous in the mid-canopy of parkland-like savanna and woodland, preferring more arid thornveld than other dryland kingfishers. It draws attention to itself with a loud, ringing “teeep-tiiii-rrrrrrr” and rollicking “trrreerrr-treeerr-treeer” calls.

Crossley's Ground-Thrush

Crossley's Ground-Thrush

Geokichla crossleyi

A rather large, secretive, variable ground-thrush with mostly orange-rufous underparts and olive-brown upperparts, double white wingbars, and a distinctive smudged blackish mask spreading from the base of the bill to the ears, broken by a partial white eye-ring behind the eye. Rare, found in pairs in montane forest between 800 and 2300 meters of elevation in two discrete populations in the Cameroon Mountains and the Itombwe Highlands. Prefers wetter forest, including gullies and ravines where it forages on the ground, but sings from the forest canopy. Song is a rich mellow series of whistles, “chroo-woo-doo-too-loo-do-chu”; alarm call is a typical high-pitched thrush “ssreee.” No other ground-thrushes have a black face mask. 

Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher

Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher

Tanysiptera nympha

A striking, long-tailed kingfisher of lowland and foothill forest, including mangroves and riverine forest. Red bill and rump, deep orange underparts, black upperparts with blue crown, shoulder and long tail with 2 white spatules. Perches in the midstory of the forest interior. The most similar Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher appear not to co-occur, but gets close and Red-breasted differs in having a black rather than brown head. Buff-breasted is superficially similar but has a white back and tail. Song, a forceful downward trill “brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….!”

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