Sooty-headed Bulbul

Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster was recorded nine times on this trip and all the records bar one were in Doi Inthanon National Park. These two birds were seen on an early morning pre-breakfast walk from our accommodation which took us across some crop fields. The birds were at some distance from the track but this was likely to be the final opportunity to see this species so I decided to take the photograph. The black cap, bill and feet; white breast and belly; greyish white flanks; and black tail with a broad white band at its end are all visible features in the photograph. What is not visible is the white rump and surprisinlgy the colour of the vent which can be red or yellow and is behind a leaf and a branch for the two birds of interest.

It is a species with a conservation status of least concern and has a resident and breeding range of nearly eleven million square kilometres throughout south-east Asia. It is common in Hong Kong, and fairly common over a broad range in S China, fairly common in SE Asia and common in Java. There are nine subspecies covering south China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Java and Cambodia. It has been introduced in Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo (Kalimantan), S Sulawesi, Buton I and possibly Bali. Four of the subspecies are found in Thaiiland but the most likely subspecies in the north-west of Thailand is P. a. latouchei.

The habitat of Sooty-headed Bulbul includes scrub, second growth, grassy areas, forest clearings, woods, towns, gardens and cultivation.

References: BirdLife; HBW Alive; Robson, C. (2010) Birds of South-East Asia, page 220, New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.