Friday, August 3, 2012

>Hypsipetes philippinus (Philippine Bulbul)

Philippine Bulbul



Philippine Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Hypsipetes
Species:H. philippinus
Binomial name
Hypsipetes philippinus
(Forster, 1795)
Synonyms
Ixos philippinus (Forster, 1795)
The Philippine Bulbul (Hypsipetes philippinus) is a songbird species in the bulbul family(Pycnonotidae). It is often placed in the genus Ixos, but is better retained in Hypsipetes as long as this is not entirely merged into Ixos, as it is quite closely related to the type species ofHypsipetes, the Black Bulbul (H. leucocephalus).
It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests; on Mount Kitanglad on Mindanao for example it is abundant in any kind of primary forest at least between 500 and 2,250 m ASL.
Fledglings of the Philippine Bulbul were recorded on Mindanao in late April, but the breeding season seems to be prolonged as females with ripe ovarian follicles were still found in April and May. Territorial songs are heard at lower altitudes as late as May, while further upslope the birds are silent at that time of year and presumably engaged in breeding activity. The Besra (Accipiter virgatus) has been recorded as a predator of young Philippine Bulbuls, and this or other goshawks might also catch adult birds.
A common and adaptable bird as long as sufficient forest remains, it is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.

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