Tuesday, July 31, 2012

>Iole palwanensis (Sulphur-bellied Bulbul)

Sulphur-bellied Bulbul




Sulphur-bellied Bulbul
Sulphur-bellied Bulbul (right), illustration by Keulemans, 1881
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Iole (but see text)
Species:I. palawanensis
Binomial name
Iole palawanensis
(Tweeddale, 1878)
Synonyms
  • Criniger palawanensis
  • Ixos palawanensis
The Sulphur-bellied Bulbul (Iole palawanensis) is a songbird species in the bulbul family(Pycnonotidae).
Past studies have argued the species might warrant inclusion in the genus Hypsipetes – as long as this was kept separate from Ixos – as it may be a close relative of the Philippine Bulbul (H. philippinensis), which in turn is closely related to the type species of Hypsipetes, the Black Bulbul (H. leucocephalus)., however current taxonomic consensus places it in the genus Iole.
It is endemic to the Philippines, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.

>Iole indica (Yellow-browed Bulbul)

Yellow-browed Bulbul


Yellow-browed Bulbul
A. indica guglielmi (in Bodhinagala Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka)
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Acritillas
Oberholser, 1905
Species:A. indica
Binomial name
Acritillas indica
(Jerdon, 1839)
Synonyms
Iole indica
The Yellow-browed Bulbul (Acritillas indica) is a species of bulbul found in the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. It is mainly yellow on the underside and olive above with a distinct yellow brow. They are easily located by their loud calls but tend to skulk within foliage below the forest canopy. Three subspecies are recognised within its range and its generic placement has changed over time with some considering it as a sole species in the genusAcritillas.

Description

This bulbul is about 20 cm (7 inches) long, lacks a crest and has the upperparts olive green with a prominent yellow brow and goggle with the underparts being all yellow. The sexes do not differ in plumage. The bill is black and the iris is reddish brown. The population in the northern Western Ghats (ssp. icterica) is paler yellow than the populations further south (ssp.indica). A somewhat disjunct population is found in the Eastern Ghats. Southwestern Sri Lankan populations (ssp. gugliemi) are greener while the northern populations are included in the nominate subspecies.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by T. C. Jerdon on the basis of specimens from the Wynaad region and given the name of Trichophorus indicus in 1839. Strickland described Criniger ictericus on the basis of a specimen that was later identified as being from Mahabaleshwar and this name has been used for the subspecies name given for the populations of the northern Western Ghats (north of Goa). The placement Iole icterica and Iole indica has been used by many works but a study of the genus Iole suggests that this species is exceptional suggesting its removal and placement in the monotypic genus Acritillas erected by Oberholser.

Habitat and distribution

The Yellow-browed Bulbul has been considered as the wet-zone counterpart of the dry-zone White-browed Bulbul. It is found mainly below the forest canopy of the hill forests and plantations in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. They also occur in parts of the Eastern Ghats including the Kolli hills, Nallamalas and parts of Tirupathi and Mamandur regions in Andhra Pradesh.

Behaviour and ecology

Calls
Yellow-browed Bulbuls are found in pairs or small groups and call loudly. The calls include a whistle like calls and sharp pick-wick notes. They feed mainly on berries and insects. The breeding season is during the dry spell before the monsoons, mainly January to May. The nest is a cup built in a low fork covered with moss and cobwebs on the outside, giving the appearance of a large White-eye nest, and lined with fine root fibres. The typical clutch is 3 eggs in India and 2 in Sri Lanka. Peak breeding in the Silent Valley National Park of Kerala was found in January and February. About a week is taken for building the nest and the eggs are incubated for about 13 days. The eggs are pale pink or white with reddish brown speckling.The eggs hatch synchronously and the nestlings fledge after about 13 days. Nestlings are fed with caterpillars, soft insects and berries.

>Iole olivacea (Buff-vented Bulbul)

Buff-vented Bulbul


Buff-vented Bulbul
Panti Forest, Johor, Malaysia
Conservation status

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Iole
Species:I. olivacea
Binomial name
Iole olivacea
Blyth, 1844
The Buff-vented Bulbul (Iole olivacea) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

>Iole propinqua (Grey-eyed Bulbul)

Grey-eyed Bulbul


Grey-eyed Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Iole
Species:I. propinqua
Binomial name
Iole propinqua
(Oustalet, 1903)
The Grey-eyed Bulbul (Iole propinqua) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

>Iole virescens (Olive Bulbul)

Olive Bulbul


 


Olive Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Iole
Species:I. virescens
Binomial name
Iole virescens
Blyth, 1845
The Olive Bulbul (Iole virescens) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, India, Burma, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

>>Genus Iole

Iole



Iole
Buff-vented Bulbul (I. olivacea)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Iole
Blyth, 1844
Synonyms
Acritillas Oberholser, 1905
Iole is a genus of bulbuls, songbirds in the family Pycnonotidae. They are native to tropical eastern Asia, from India to China and south through Southeast Asia to northern Indonesia.
It includes the following species:
  • Olive Bulbul, Iole virescens
  • Grey-eyed Bulbul, Iole propinqua
  • Buff-vented Bulbul, Iole olivacea (type species)
  • Yellow-browed Bulbul, Iole indica
  • Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, Iole palwanensis
Some older sources merge this genus into Hypsipetes. But this is neither advisable nor technically correct. The two genera stand well apart, and to phylogenetically justify their merging, the entire "Hypsipetes group" of bulbuls would need to be united in a single genus. That would include HemixosIxosMicroscelis and Tricholestes, and probably also Alophoixus and the monotypic Setornis. The Hook-billed Bulbul (S. criniger) may in fact be the closest living relative of Iole, but altogether the present genus may well be a quite basal lineage of the traditional "Hypsipetes group" of bulbuls, with no particularly close relatives among these.
According to mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunits 2 and 3 and nDNA β-fibrinogen intron 7 sequence data Alophoixus is only slightly more distant from Hypsipetes than Iole is, whereas mtDNA 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA sequence data places it actually closer to Hypsipetes than toIole. And furthermore, the genus name Ixos pre-dates Hypsipetes, and thus would apply to such a thoroughly merged "wastebin taxon".

Monday, July 30, 2012

>Alophoixus affinis (Golden Bulbul)

Golden Bulbul

 



Golden Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Species:A. affinis
Binomial name
Alophoixus affinis
(Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841)
Synonyms
Thapsinillas affinis
The Golden Bulbul (Alophoixus affinis) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

>Alophoixus phaeocephalus (Yellow-bellied Bulbul)

Yellow-bellied Bulbul



Yellow-bellied Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Species:A. phaeocephalus
Binomial name
Alophoixus phaeocephalus
(Hartlaub, 1844)
The Yellow-bellied Bulbul (Alophoixus phaeocephalus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

>Alophoixus bres (Grey-cheeked Bulbul)

Grey-cheeked Bulbul


Grey-cheeked Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Species:A. bres
Binomial name
Alophoixus bres
(Lesson, 1832)
Synonyms
  • Criniger frater
The Grey-cheeked Bulbul (Alophoixus bres) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

>Alophoixus ochraceus (Ochraceous Bulbul)

Ochraceous Bulbul


 


Ochraceous Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Species:A. ochraceus
Binomial name
Alophoixus ochraceus
Moore, 1854
The Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

>Alophoixus pallidus (Puff-throated Bulbul)

Puff-throated Bulbul


Puff-throated Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Species:A. pallidus
Binomial name
Alophoixus pallidus
(Swinhoe, 1870)
The Puff-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus pallidus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

>Alophoixus flaveolus (White-throated Bulbul)

White-throated Bulbul





White-throated Bulbul
Shatchari, Sylhet
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Species:A. flaveolus
Binomial name
Alophoixus flaveolus
(Gould, 1836)
The White-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus flaveolus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Burma, Nepal, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

>Alophoixus finschii (Finsch's Bulbul)

Finsch's Bulbul


Finsch's Bulbul
Finsch's Bulbul (left) by John Gerrard Keulemans
Conservation status

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Species:A. finschii
Binomial name
Alophoixus finschii
(Salvadori, 1871)
Synonyms
  • Criniger finschi
Finsch's Bulbul (Alophoixus finschii) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

>>Genus Alophoixus

Alophoixus


Alophoixus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Alophoixus
Oates, 1889
Species
see text
Alophoixus is a genus of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. All the species occur in southeast Asia.
It contains the following species:
  • Finsch's Bulbul (Alophoixus finschii)
  • White-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus flaveolus)
  • Puff-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus pallidus)
  • Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus)
  • Grey-cheeked Bulbul (Alophoixus bres)
  • Yellow-bellied Bulbul (Alophoixus phaeocephalus)
  • Golden Bulbul (Alophoixus affinis)

Sunday, July 29, 2012

>>Genus Setornis (Hook-billed Bulbul)

Hook-billed Bulbul



Hook-billed Bulbul
Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Setornis
Lesson, 1839
Species:S. criniger
Binomial name
Setornis criniger
Lesson, 1839
The Hook-billed Bulbul (Setornis criniger) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Setornis. It is found in Brunei,Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss.

>>Genus Tricholestes (Hairy-backed Bulbul)

Hairy-backed Bulbul





Hairy-backed Bulbul
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Pycnonotidae
Genus:Tricholestes
Salvadori, 1874
Species:T. criniger
Binomial name
Tricholestes criniger
(Blyth, 1845)
Synonyms 
Genus:
  • Myiosobus Reichenow, 1891
Species:
  • Brachypodius criniger Blyth, 1845
  • Myiosobus fulvicauda Reichenow, 1891
  • Trichophorus minutus
The Hairy-backed Bulbul (Tricholestes criniger) is a songbird species in the bulbul family(Pycnonotidae). Its genus Tricholestes is monotypic. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia,Malaysia, Burma, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.