Red-vented Bulbul

Latin Name: 
Pycnonotus cafer
Category: 
Size: 
20cm
Description: 

Sexes alike. Dark sootybrown plumage; pale edges of feathers on back and breast give scaly appearance; darker head, with slight crest; almost black on throat; white rump and red vent distinctive; dark tail tipped white. Pairs or small flocks, but large numbers gather to feed; arboreal, keeps to middle levels of trees and bushes; a well known Indian bird, rather attached to man’s neighbourhood; pleasantly noisy and cheerful, lively and quarrelsome; indulges in dust-bathing; also hunts flycatcher-style.

Habitat: 
light forests, gardens, haunts of man.
Food: 
insects, fruits, flower nectar, kitchen scraps.
Distribution: 
subcontinent, to about 1,800m in Himalaya.
Call: 
Call Description: 
cheerful whistling calls; alarm calls on sighting snake, owl or some other intrusion, serving to alert other birds.
National Status: