>Pycnonotus melanicterus (Black-crested Bulbul)

Black-crested Bulbul

Black-crested Bulbul
P. a. atriceps in the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal, India.
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pycnonotidae
Genus:	Pycnonotus
Species:	P. melanicterus
Binomial name
Pycnonotus melanicterus (Gmelin, 1789)

The Black-crested Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanicterus, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent including in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, and eastwards in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

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-crested Bulbul feeds on fruit and insects.

The Black-crested Bulbul is about 19 cm (7 in) in length, including its relatively long tail. It has olive upperparts and yellow or olive-yellow underparts. The head is black. Sexes are similar in plumage, but young birds are duller than adults. The flight is bouncing and woodpecker-like.

A Flame-throated Bulbul

There are several distinctive taxa that generally have been considered subspecies of the Black-crested Bulbul, but increasingly are treated as separate species (and actually were considered separate species originally): The Ruby-throated Bulbul (P. dispar) from Sumatra and Java is virtually crestless, has a deep red throat and reddish eyes, the Flame-throated Bulbul (P. gularis) from the Western Ghats in India is virtually crestless, has an orange-red throat and whitish eyes, the Black-capped Bulbul (P. melanicterus) from Sri Lanka is virtually crestless, has a yellow throat and brownish eyes, and the Bornean Bulbul (P. montis) from Borneo has a black crest, yellow throat and brownish eyes. Confusingly, P. gularis has also been referred to as the Ruby-throated Bulbul. When all of the above are considered separate species, the Black-crested Bulbul is found from eastern Indian east to Vietnam and south to Peninsular Malaysia, and has a black crest, red or black throat and whitish eyes.

Displaying at Fraser's Hill, Malaysia

	Call Call of a Flame-throated Bulbul recorded at Wayanad, April 2006
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In culture

In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as Hisa kalu Kondaya' in Sinhala Language.