Family Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae)
Least Concern
Square-tailed Bulbul (Hypsipetes ganeesa)
Taxonomy
French: Bulbul des Ghats German: Indien-Rotschnabelbülbül Spanish: Bulbul de los Ghats
Other common names:
Square-tailed Black Bulbul
Taxonomy:
Hypsipetes Ganeesa
Sykes
, 1832,“Dense woods of the Ghauts [sic]” = Mahabaleshwar, India
.
Subspecies and Distribution
H. g. ganeesa
Sykes, 1832 – Indian Square-tailed Bulbul – Western Ghats of India S from N Maharashtra, and Shevaroy Hills in S Eastern Ghats.
H. g. humii
(Whistler & Kinnear, 1932) – Sri Lanka Square-tailed Bulbul – Sri Lanka.
Descriptive notes
21–24 cm. Large, noisy, conspicuous bulbul, appearing generally dark sooty grey, with very short crest, square-tipped tail. Has glossy black head, greenish sheen when... read more
Voice
Often calls from exposed treetop branches, or in flight, voice much harsher and less nasal than... read more
Habitat
In India occurs in wide variety of forest types, including heavily degraded forests mixed with... read more
Food and feeding
Fruits and seeds; berries include Ziziphus, Eugenia, Vaccinium; also insects. In S India, visits flowers of ... read more
Breeding
Feb–May and Jul–Sept in Sri Lanka and Mar–Jun in India; at least two broods. Nest in Sri Lanka described as a small and... read more
Movements
Essentially resident, although erratic wandering and regular altitudinal migration in India. Tends... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Common and conspicuous in much of Sri Lanka (especially at higher altitudes) and likewise in S portion of Western Ghats. Common in the Nilgiris,... read more
In the past treated as conspecific with H. leucocephalus, but differs from geographically (and morphologically) closest forms H. l. psaroides and H. l. nigrescens in its lack of black submoustachial area (3); darker, browner-grey plumage (1); less crested appearance (2); unforked tail (2); and somewhat different voice, with purer overslurred notes (1), many pure downslurred notes (1) and no melodious song phrases (ns[1–2])#R. Morphological distinctions between nominate race and humii minor (suggestion of noticeable size difference in body and bill in HBW poorly supported by specimen evidence), but in voice humii has mainly unmusical short phrases with many notes rather burry or guttural (3). Two subspecies recognized.