Yellow throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) complete detail – updated. Description of Yellow throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus). Classification and Habit and habitat of Yellow throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus). Yellow throated bulbuls are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying.
The Yellow throated bulbul is a beautiful bird, with short and slender neck. Size between 18 cm to 20 cm. The weight of adult is between 25 g to 35 g. Yellow throated bulbuls usually shy and hidden within scrub. The breast and belly are fawn-grey. The bill of Yellow throated bulbul is short, strong and grayish black or blue in color. Legs are also short and grayish black or blue. Head of Yellow throated bulbul is plain and yellow in color. Males and females are similar in plumage…………
They feed on insects and the berries of various scrub plant species. Breeding season is between May to August. The nest is built in the fork of small tree. It, built next to a huge boulder and sheltered by an overhanging bush.
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Distinctive Identification
Yellow throated bulbul is a Schedule – IV bird, according to wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 and classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.
The Yellow throated bulbul is a beautiful bird, with short and slender neck. Size between 18 cm to 20 cm. The weight of adult is between 25 g to 35 g.
The tail is long and the wings short and rounded and the bill is slightly elongated and slightly hooked at the end.
Color of Yellow throated bulbul is olive-and-greyish. They have Yellow or off-white throat, under tail-coverts and tail-tip.
The breast and belly are fawn-grey. The bill of Yellow throated bulbul is short, strong and grayish black or blue in color.
Legs are also short and grayish black or blue. Head of Yellow throated bulbul is plain and yellow in color. Males and females are similar in plumage.
Classification
Common Name – Yellow throated bulbul
Zoological Name – Pycnonotus xantholaemus
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Class – Aves
Order – Passeriformes
Family – Pycnonotidae
Genus – Pycnonotus
Conservational Status – Schedule – IV, according to wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 and classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.
Distribution
The Yellow throated Bulbul prefer habitats like rocky, scrub covered hills mostly in the Eastern Ghats and central peninsular India but also in some places in the Western Ghats.
The Yellow throated Bulbul is endemic to southern peninsular India. Where it is locally distributed in southern Andhra Pradesh, eastern Karnataka, Goa, Orissa, eastern Kerala and northern Tamil Nadu.
The distribution is highly fragmented and populations are very local making hilly habitats of very special conservation concern.
Habit and habitat
Yellow throated bulbuls are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying. They prefer dry-deciduous and scrub forests with stunted vegetation on the hilly slopes.
Yellow throated bulbuls usually shy and hidden within scrub. They are usually seen singly or in pairs.
The calls of this species are very similar to that of the White browed Bulbul. The calls include a whistle like calls and sharp pick-wick notes.
In flight, the bird had white (yellow in literature) at the tail tips.
They feed on insects and the berries of various scrub plant species. They forage within bushes for fruit, nectar and insects.
Breeding season is between May to August. The nest is built in the fork of small tree. It, built next to a huge boulder and sheltered by an overhanging bush. The nest building activity lasted for around 6 to 10 days.
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Eggs 1 to 2, whitish, blotched with purple and brick-red markings forming a dense ring around the broader end. Generally female incubate the eggs. The incubation period is between 18 to 20 days. The presumed male always remained outside the nest area.
During this period the presumed male was supplying the food to the female outside the nest for feeding the nestlings.
The average lifespan of Yellow throated bulbul is between 10 to 14 years.
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