Gray-headed Bulbul Microtarsus priocephalus Scientific name definitions

17–19 cm. Small, active, peak-headed, olive-colored bulbul. Anterior lores and forehead are bright greenish-yellow, rest of lores dull greenish (black feather bases visible from some angles); ocular region, ear-coverts, patch at base of lower mandible and malar streak dull green; crown, nape , side of neck and throat dark ash-gray; mantle , back and scapulars warm dark olive-green; loose and plush feathering of lower back and upper rump black, broadly tipped pale ashy green (appearing mottled green when flattened, barred black when raised); elongated uppertail-coverts bleached gray; flight-feathers blackish-brown, outer webs fringed bright olive-green (covering entire outer web on tertials); most of tail delicate ash-gray, black outer feathers broadly tipped same color and fringed green on outer webs; chin dull black, merging on to gray throat; rest of underparts pale olive, becoming whitish towards vent ; iris whitish-gray (contrasting with dark face); bill strikingly greenish-yellow, palest on culmen and tip, mouth pink with brownish patches or variable yellow and pink; legs pale dusky orange-yellow, claws paler. Sexes alike. Juvenile is as adult, but head darker olive, yellow forehead duller, and underparts colder, duller green; iris probably darker and duller.

Species name often misspelt “poiocephalus” owing to long-standing confusion in the literature, in part due to three attempted emendations by different authors. Monotypic.

Western Ghats (from extreme southern Maharashtra and Goa south to Kerala) and Palani Hills (Tamil Nadu), in southwestern India.

Usually confined to evergreen forest in areas receiving high rainfall; scarce in deciduous forest. Ventures into edge habitats, including bamboo, canebrakes, and Lantana scrub in abandoned clearings. Found at all levels of forest and in tall vine-laden shrubs. Likes similar habitat to that occupied by the largely syntopic Flame-throated Bulbul (Rubigula gularis), but generally prefers more humid areas with denser vegetation. From plains to 1,200 m, rarely ascending higher, to 1,800 m; commonest at 600–900 m.

Diet comprises berries and other fruit, including figs (Ficus), Lantana and Ziziphus oenophila; also a small proportion of insects. Forages at all levels of forest and in tall vine-laden shrubs; can be flighty, nervous and hard to see. Found singly and in pairs, sometimes in small groups of 4–8 individuals at fruiting trees or shrubs; often joins other frugivores such as fairy-bluebirds (Irena), orioles (Oriolus), etc.

Calls incessantly with shrill monosyllabic notes; vocalizations include thin, explosive, metallic, wheezy “jzhwink!”, sometimes in long series, also a clearer, more jarring, chiming version, “chraink!”.

Breeds March–July. Nest a shallow cup, slight and flimsy, easily seen through from below, usually fastened with spider webs to branches of shrub, placed low down, 1–2 m above ground, but probably also sometimes higher in sapling or creeper; nest energetically defended by adults. Clutch 1–2 eggs. Incubation period c. 13 days; fledging period c. 12 days; overall nest success c. 11% (1 Balakrishnan, P. (2011). Breeding biology of the Grey-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus priocephalus (Aves: Pycnonotidae) in the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(1):1415–1424. Close ).

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Western Ghats EBA. Patchily distributed, but generally not uncommon in suitable habitat; common in the higher woods of Goa. Tends to be rare at lower altitudes, largely because most suitable habitat has been cleared, but in hilly regions extensive forest remains. Occurs in a range of protected areas, including Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, in Kerala, and Periyar Sanctuary, in Tamil Nadu. Many suitable forests (and several important protected areas) exist within Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and effective management and protection of this region would go a long way towards ensuring a secure future for this species.