White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus Scientific name definitions

21·5–22 cm; male 38–54 g, female 38–48 g. Bulky, brash, conspicuous bulbul with fairly stout bill, adult with spindly, pointed crest (sometimes curved forward), elongated throat feathers often held erect, as if brushed the wrong way. Nominate has bronzy-olive crown and crest, distinctly whitish lores, white-streaked grey ear-coverts, long fine hairs emerging from nape; upperparts bronzy olive, wings and tail rufous-brown; throat white, underparts bright yellow from breast to undertail-coverts; iris brown; bill variable, often mostly pale bluish-grey, particularly at cutting edges and around base; legs silvery grey, pale leaden grey or pale fleshy brown. Sexes similar. Juvenile has browner crest and upperparts, more rufescent wings, distinctly duller yellow (almost brownish) underparts, darker bill. Race burmanicus is smaller than nominate, with darker crown; juvenile said to be rather uniform brown with throat whiter, upperparts and wings more rufescent brown than adult, and underparts suffused brown.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Occurs in understorey or middle storey of primary and secondary evergreen forest, usually at 600–1200 m, rarely up to 1500 m. Some individuals descend to lowlands in winter, when regularly found in more open scrub and bushes, sometimes bordering cultivation.

Resident; tends to move downslope in some regions during non-breeding season.

Diet primarily fruit, including berries; recorded as eating gooseberries (Phyllanthus emlica) in NE India; also eats insects. Roves in tight-knit parties of 6–15 individuals in winter, creeping and clambering through vegetation in manner of some laughingthrushes (Garrulax), following each other closely and flying across gaps in single file. Usually forages within 3 m of ground.

Noisy, heard more often than seen. Wide variety of calls, all short and nasal, with no identifiable song. Commonest calls are loud, short, very nasal, strident single hiccup-like “nyak, nyark, nyark” or “nyeek!” notes, repeated at variable rates, often relatively slowly; higher-pitched “yap” when alarmed, often alternately or in chorus by multiple individuals; also noted are shriller, upslurred “shree-shree-shree”, and a series of tinny, nasal notes which starts quite slowly and then rises in pitch and accelerates. Most vocalizations similar to those of A. pallidus but sharper and higher-pitched.

Breeds Apr–Jul. Nest reportedly built by both sexes, outer layer constructed of dead leaves and bamboo leaves, fairly loosely fastened together with fine fern rootlets and elastic stems, inner layer also of dead leaves, very strongly bound and lined with fern roots; placed 0–3 m above ground, usually below 1 m, in thick low vegetation (including weeds and brambles) or vine tangle, often near stream. Clutch 3–4 eggs; incubation possibly by both sexes, period 13 days; chicks fed by both parents, no information on nestling period.

Not globally threatened. Generally common throughout range; rare in S China. Very local in Bangladesh, but fairly common at a few sites in Nepal, and very common in suitable habitat in NE India, Bhutan and Myanmar. Able to tolerate considerable degradation and fragmentation of forest. In Nepal occurs in Royal Chitwan National Park, the extreme W locality for the species.