Sooty headed bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster)

Sooty-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster) is a species of songbird belonging to the family Pycnonotidae. They are frequently seen in groups while foraging or perching—whether with others of their own species, other members of the Pycnonotidae family, or various other birds from the order Passeriformes.

P. aurigaster has a total length of 18–21 cm. Its back and tail are brownish-gray, while the throat, neck, breast, and belly are grayish-white. The forehead, crown, and crest are black. The tail features a white tip and an orange base; the irises are red, and both the beak and legs are black.



These birds are commonly found along roadsides, in parks, in residential gardens, orchards, scrublands, and secondary forests at elevations of up to 1,600 meters. Their diet generally consists of soft fruits and various insects.

When flying in groups, they are often quite noisy, producing calls such as "cuk, cuk... tuit, tuit!" Each morning, they have a habit of sunning themselves and bathing in dew while perched in the tree canopy. They frequently use their beaks to preen their feathers, applying oil secreted from a gland located near the base of the tail.

This species has a habit of raising its crest when feeling content or when about to defecate. During the molting period, the birds tend to become more passive and stop singing. They build cup-shaped nests woven from blades of grass, leaf stalks, and small twigs. The female typically lays 2–3 reddish-gray eggs.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pycnonotidae
Genus: Pycnonotus Linnaeus (1766)
Species: Pycnonotus aurigaster Vieillot (1818)
Subspecies:
P. a. chrysorrhoides Lafresnaye (1845): China
P. a. resurrectus Deignan (1952): China, Vietnam
P. a. dolichurus Deignan (1949): Vietnam
P. a. Latouchei Deignan (1949): Myanmar, China, Indochina
P. a. Klossi Gyldenstolpe (1920): Myanmar, Thailand
P. a. Schauenseei Delacour (1943): Myanmar, Thailand
P. a. thais Kloss (1924): Thailand, Laos
P. a. germani Oustalet (1878): Thailand, Indochina
P. a. aurigaster Vieillot (1818):Java, Bali

SYNONYMS

Turdus aurigaster

VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: بلبل أسخم الرأس
Chinese (simplified): 白喉红臀鹎
Chinese (traditional): 白喉紅臀鵯
Czech: Bulbul indočínský
Danish: Sodhovedet bulbul
Dutch: Roetkopbuulbuul
English: Sooty-headed bulbul
Finnish: Nokipääbulbuli
French: Bulbul cul-d'or
German: Kotilangbülbül, Rußhaubenbülbül
Hong Kong: 白喉紅臀鵯
Hungarian: Kotinga bülbül
Indonesian: Kutilang, Cucak kutilang, Burung nilam
Italian: Bulbul ventredorato
Japanese: コシジロヒヨドリ
Java: Tilang
Korean: 검은댕기직박구리
Lithuanian: Pilkakepuris bulbiulis
Macao: 白喉紅臀鵯
Norwegian: Sothettebylbyl
Polish: Bilbil złotoplamy
Russian: Златогузый бюльбюль - Золотобрюхий бюльбюль - Золотобрюхий настоящий бюльбюль
Slovak: Bylbyl maskový
Spanish: Bulbul ventridorado
Taiwan: 白喉紅臀鵯
Thai: นกปรอดหัวสีเขม่า
Turkish: Esmer Başlıklı Arapbülbülü

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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