Bulbul de Mauricio

Identificación

The Mauritius bulbul can reach a size up to 24 cm (9.4 in). It is characterized by bright yellow-brown eyes, pink legs, and an orange to yellow-hued bill. Its plumage is generally greyish contrasted with a black crest. The plumage of the juveniles is pale brown. Their bill is blackish.

Taxonomía

The Mauritius bulbul was the type species of the obsolete genus Ixocincla, which united various more or less closely related bulbuls from the entire Indian Ocean region. Formerly, some authorities considered the Mauritius bulbul to belong to the genus Turdus. It has also been classified as a subspecies of the Réunion bulbul. Alternative names include the Mauritius black bulbul and the Mauritius merle.

Nombre científico

Hypsipetes olivaceus

Autoridad

Jardine & Selby, 1837

Orden

Passeriformes

Familia

Picnonótidos

Género

Hypsipetes

Distribución y hábitat

Migración

Resident species

Comportamiento

During the southern summer, the female lays two pinkish coloured eggs in a nest made from straw and roots. The incubation lasts between 14 and 16 days.<p>The diet of the Mauritius bulbul consists of insects, seeds, and fruits. The ripe berries of the non-native Spanish Flag are especially favoured.<p>In earlier times, it was often served as a dish on festive days. Later, its main threats shifted to the replacement of their forest habitat by tea plantations and invasive weeds (including L. camara, which the birds themselves help to spread) and predation by the introduced crab-eating macaque. In the mid-1970s, only 200 pairs remained, but then the decline was stopped. Today it is rare but has a quite stable population; 280 pairs were counted in 1993.

Conservación

Tendencia poblacional

stable