Family Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae)

Least Concern

Striated Bulbul (Pycnonotus striatus)

figure, drawing, illustration of Striated Bulbul (Pycnonotus striatus)

Taxonomy

French: Bulbul strié German: Streifenbülbül Spanish: Bulbul estriado
Taxonomy:

Tricophorus striatus

Blyth

, 1842,

Darjeeling, West Bengal, India

.

Aberrant species perhaps meriting separation, along with P. leucogrammicus and P. tympanistrigus, in Alcurus. Validity of race paulus dubious, as features seem to fall within range of variation of nominate; further investigation required. Putative race arctus (NE India) lacks constant differences and is merged with nominate. Two subspecies provisionally recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution
  • P. s. striatus (Blyth, 1842) – Himalayas in C Nepal, Bhutan and NE India (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, hills of Meghalaya, Assam and Nagaland S to Mizoram).
  • P. s. paulus (Bangs & J. C. Phillips, 1914) – much of Myanmar (S to N Tenasserim), S China (Yunnan S of Likiang Range), mountains of W & N Thailand, N Laos and N Vietnam (W Tonkin).

    • Descriptive notes

    21–23 cm; 45–60 g. A large, almost entirely streaked, rather long-tailed bulbul with long, tapered crest. Cheeks and crown are greenish-brown, finely streaked... read more

    Voice

    Less vocal than most bulbuls. Calls a hard “pyik…pyik”, or harsh slurred “... read more

    Habitat

    Lower-stature broadleaf evergreen forest, semi-deciduous forest and moist oak-rhododendron (... read more

    Food and feeding

    Eats berries and many insects. Birds in Myanmar seen to forage on Maesa, Viburnum, Bucklandia, Ilex,... read more

    Breeding

    Little reliable information. Breeds May–Jul. Reported nests in each case a robust, compact cup composed of fine elastic twigs, coarse... read more

    Movements

    Resident, but subject to altitudinal movements. In parts of range, distinct movement to lower... read more

    Status and conservation

    Not globally threatened. Generally fairly common throughout range. Thinly distributed in NE India, but total population there must be large in view of large area of suitable... read more

    Recommended citation

    Fishpool, L. & Tobias, J. (2020). Striated Bulbul (Pycnonotus striatus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/57921 on 28 January 2020).