Ashy bulbul

Hypsipetes flavala

TAXONOMY

Hypsipetes flavala Blyth, 1845. Some authors consider races of chestnut bulbul (Hemixos castanonotus) as races of the ashy bulbul.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Ashy bulbul, brown-eared bulbul, chestnut bulbul; French: Bulbul à ailes vertes; German: Braunohrbülbül; Spanish: Bulbul Ahumado.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

7.8 in (20 cm). Distinctive bird, black crest and mask, brown cheeks and white throat. Back, chest, and tail gray, white belly,

olive-yellow patch on wings. Sexes alike. Juvenile similar, but browner upperparts.

DISTRIBUTION

Himalayas, southwestern China, Southeast Asia, and Greater Sundas.

HABITAT

Broadleaved forest and edge plantations.

BEHAVIOR

Found in noisy parties, pairs during breeding season. Puffs out throat feathers like Alophoixos bulbuls. Voice a loud ringing call of four to five notes, also harsh "trrk." Resident, may move altitudinally.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Forages among trees for berries, nectar, and insects; the latter it catches on the wing.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Breeds in May and June. Deep, cuplike nest.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened. Locally common.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.