Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus Scientific name definitions

23·5–26·5 cm. Large, noisy, conspicuous bulbul with expressive, ragged crest, broadly triangular tail notched and splayed somewhat like that of a drongo (Dicrurus). Nominate race has all-white head, blackish upperparts, paler on rump; sooty grey below, feathers of belly and undertail-coverts streaked or tipped whitish; iris brown to dark brown, eyelids edged orange; bill deep orange, tinged reddish at base, mouth orange; legs orange, claws horn. Sexes usually alike, female generally smaller than male. Juvenile lacks crest, is dull brown overall, with duller bill and legs, pale grey underparts mottled brownish or greyish (throat and belly whitest, breast darkest), rufescent wing edgings; usually indistinguishable from adult after post-juvenile moult. Race psaroides lacks pure white in plumage, is slate-grey throughout, with blackish crown, broad blackish malar bordering paler grey face, whitish-grey central belly, pale-edged undertail-coverts, iris deep chestnut, eyelid black, bill, tongue and legs bright coral-red, claws horn-brown; nigrescens is darker blackish-grey above and below, lacks grey patch above lores or behind eye, no contrast between cap and mantle, bare-part colours as previous; <em>concolor</em> is even darker, blackish above, with no distinct contrast between cap and upperparts, slightly paler grey below, blackish malar patch; ambiens is overall blacker; sinensis is very like previous but sometimes quite grey below, occasionally 2–3 white feathers on forehead (possible hybrids), iris deep chestnut, bill and legs bright red; stresemanni is similar to nominate (head and breast white), but body entirely blackish-grey, lacking paler grey tones, bare-part colours as nominate; leucothorax is inseparable from previous in field, female closely resemble male of previous but slightly smaller; <em>nigerrimus</em> is black with conspicuous grey margins on flight-feathers, dark greyish underparts; perniger is almost entirely black, but with deep greyish-green gloss on margins of upperpart and underpart feathers (not wings and tail), iris deep chestnut, bill and legs bright coral-red.

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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.

Broadleaf evergreen and mixed deciduous forest, groves, clearings and edges, visiting more open forest in winter. In Pakistan, typically associated in breeding season with oak (Quercus incana) and pine (Pinus roxburghi) forest; in much of breeding range, prefers tall broken forests of oak, pine and rhododendron, sometimes entering mature gardens; usually in mid-montane zone at 600–2100 m, rarely to 3200 m, and breeding at lower foothills in only a few locations (e.g. Royal Chitwan National Park, in Nepal). Outside breeding season, occurs in evergreen and mixed deciduous lowland forests, montane forest and secondary growth, on slopes at all elevations, mainly above 500 m; wanders sporadically to plains (down to c. 100 m) in response to bad weather or fruiting events; vagrants recorded close to sea-level.

Some races resident, others migratory. Migration patterns complex; species usually erratic in occurrence, depending on food supplies, even where essentially resident (e.g. N Thailand). White-headed races (nominate, leucothorax, stresemanni) generally migratory, probably travel greatest distances; common non-breeding visitors to NE Myanmar, and unknown races occur in winter S to N Thailand and sometimes farther S (leucothorax a vagrant in S Thailand); one record for Bangladesh and several from Arunachal Pradesh, NE India (1 Srinivasan, U., Dalvi, S., and Yobin, K. (2009). First records of ‘white-headed’ Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus from India. Indian Birds. 5(1): 28–30. Close ), thought to have involved stresemanni. In Laos, numbers of resident black-headed race (concolor) augmented by influx of black-headed and white-headed winter visitors (the latter more common); both types have been recorded in small numbers in Cambodia in winter. Individual of unknown race has occurred in N Peninsular Malaysia. White-headed individuals seen during summer on Taungyi crag, in Shan States of Myanmar, prompting suggestion that they may breed that far S, but this seems unlikely. Tends to migrate back to breeding quarters in Mar–May. In addition, seasonal altitudinal migrations undertaken in N Pakistan, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and elsewhere in Himalayas, some individuals moving farther afield, into plains of Pakistan and India.

Diet mainly berries and other fruits, also flower nectar and insects . In Pakistan, thought to subsist largely on berries of Viburnum foetens and other shrubs during winter, but largely insectivorous in breeding season; in N Pakistan and Kashmir, berries of “Persian lilac” (Melia azedarach) a staple food, along with figs (Ficus religiosa and F. bengalensis). Figs (including F. nitida) make up a large part of the diet in Hainan and Taiwan. In N Myanmar, birds (of both white-headed and black-headed races) were seen to feed on fruits and flowers of, among others, Prunus, Ficus, Callicarpa arborea, Embelia, Maesa, Heptapleurum, Leucospectrum, and on insects attracted to these; Leucospectrum (especially its nectar) was apparently a very common foodplant. Individuals or groups regularly gather at flowering trees or shrubs to eat nectar, e.g. at rhododendrons (in Himalayas) and at trees such as Cassia, Bombax and Salmalia malabarica; in Himalayan spring, seen to eat deciduous leaf and flower buds. Well known as a skilled catcher of insects, especially in aerial sallies from treetops. Seems to favour beetles (Coleoptera), but one observed to catch and consume a large green mantid in Pakistan, and others seen catching hymenopterans or dipterans attracted to large flowers such as Butea monosperma or Rhododendron arboreum. Gregarious. In non-breeding season, can gather in large flocks of up to 100 individuals, sometimes several hundreds; at this time white-headed races sometimes mix freely with black-headed ones, but the two usually keep to separate flocks. Usually forages in upper branches of tall trees, often perching directly on top of canopy; rarely descends to undergrowth and never to ground.

Generally noisy, calling semi-continuously when perched or in flight, and often making thin, shrill, nasal, and squeaky sounds; large flocks emit continuous shrill, nasal, chattering babble. Calls include variety of rather high-pitched, somewhat weak, nasal but sharp, staccato “nyurk” and “nurrit” notes, often quickly repeated and subdued in more conversational versions, occasionally interspersed with nasal downslurred squealing mews, “nyeeer”, or upslurred “hwiiii”, these sometimes doubled. Short nasal “nyerk”, “nyer-wick” and “nyack” notes in flight. Songs, by solitary males repetitively from treetops, include shrill, very nasal, twangy “snyur-khwit, snyurt”; also clanging, squeaky, bell-like “skyurt-vee-yurt”, first note screechy and nasal. Likely that regional differences exist.

Breeds Apr–Jul. Nest a neat shallow cup, described variously as flimsy and as relatively large and robust, made of roots, twigs, bamboo leaves and bark, covered and fastened together with cobweb, interwoven with pieces of moss and leaves, lined with fine material such as coarse grass stems, bark shavings, pine needles, mammalian hair and the like; nest material depends on habitat, in Kashmir (psaroides) usually a foundation of dead leaves and dried grass, walls of stalks and twigs well plastered with spider webs, sometimes much moss used, and in Taiwan (nigerrimus) constructed from bamboo leaves and twigs, covered on outside with moss and spider webs, lined with pine needles and very fine stems and leaf stalks; placed on bough or in fork of bush or tree, including conifer, 2–15 m above ground but usually fairly high (7–10 m), most nests slung between two slender branches that fork horizontally, often near end of horizontal branch, a small minority lodged in upright fork; reported tendency to nest in single tree narrowly isolated from forest. Clutch 2–3 eggs, rarely 4–5; incubation mostly (probably entirely) by female, male sings near nest for much of day; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

Not globally threatened. Generally fairly common to very common. Race psaroides fairly common in N Pakistan, N India and much of Nepal; perniger common on Hainan; white-headed races common in parts of China. This species’ tolerance of degraded habitats suggests that deforestation poses no serious threat to its future survival.