The African red-eyed bulbul or black-fronted bulbul (''Pycnonotus nigricans'') is a species of

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 500 ...

in the family

Pycnonotidae The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asi ...

. It is found in south-western Africa. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are dry

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, subtropical or tropical dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

ine scrub. It feeds on

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

(including

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

, and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

Description

The African red-eyed bulbul ranges from 19 to 21 centimeters (7-8 inches) in length and weighs 30-48 grams (1-1.7 ounces). Its call is a series of loud fluty notes, usually given only by the male.

Taxonomy and systematics

The African red-eyed bulbul was originally described in the genus ''

Turdus True thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus ''Turdus'' of the wider thrush family, Turdidae. The genus name ''Turdus'' is Latin for "thrush". The term " thrush" is used for many other birds of the family T ...

''. The African red-eyed bulbul is considered to belong to a superspecies along with the

Himalayan bulbul The Himalayan bulbul (''Pycnonotus leucogenys''), or white-cheeked bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family found in Central and South Asia. Taxonomy and systematics The Himalayan bulbul is considered to belong to a superspecies ...

white-eared bulbul The white-eared bulbul (''Pycnonotus leucotis'') is a member of the bulbul family. It is found in south-western Asia from India to the Arabian peninsula. Taxonomy and systematics The white-eared bulbul was originally described in the genus ''Ix ...

white-spectacled bulbul The white-spectacled bulbul (''Pycnonotus xanthopygos'') is a member of the bulbul family. It is in length with a wingspan of . These birds live in fruit plantations, gardens, and cities. It is the most common member of the bulbul family in Isr ...

Cape bulbul The Cape bulbul (''Pycnonotus capensis'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in coastal bush, open forest, gardens and fynbos in western and southern South Africa. This species nests mainly in t ...

, and the

common bulbul The common bulbul (''Pycnonotus barbatus'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in north-eastern, northern, western and central Africa. Taxonomy and systematics The common bulbul was originally described in the genus ...

. The alternate name of 'red-eyed bulbul' is also used by the Asian red-eyed bulbul.

Subspecies

Two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognized: * ''P. n. nigricans'' - (

Vieillot Louis Pierre Vieillot (10 May 1748, Yvetot – 24 August 1830, Sotteville-lès-Rouen) was a French ornithologist. Vieillot is the author of the first scientific descriptions and Linnaean names of a number of birds, including species he collect ...

, 1818): Found in south-western Angola, Namibia and Botswana and western South Africa * ''P. n. superior'' - Clancey, 1959: Found in central South Africa

Gallery

File:African red-eyed bulbuls (Pycnonotus nigricans) 2.jpg, ''P. n. nigricans''; communal bathing at

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve The Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is a privately owned game reserve in the Northern Cape, South Africa. It is South Africa's largest private game reserve, covering an area of over 111,000 hectares. History The Tswalu Game Reserve in the Southern Kala ...

, with one or two keeping watch File:Black-fronted Bulbul, Etosha National Park, Namibia (3926548229).jpg, Nominate race at Etosha N. P., showing relatively pale breast plumage File:African Red-eyed Bulbul or Black-fronted Bulbul, Pycnonotus nigricans, at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa (14628894519).jpg, The easterly ''P. n.'' subsp. ''superior'', with darker breast and mantle plumage File:Bulbules encapuchados (Pycnonotus nigricans), Santuario de Rinocerontes Khama, Botsuana, 2018-08-02, DD 15.jpg, Group of African red-eyed bulbuls in Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Botswana File:African_Red-Eyed_Bulbul_2019-07-25.jpg, African red-eyed bulbul in Okaukuejo, Etosha National Park, Namibia

References

External links

* African red-eyed bulbul
Species text in ''The Atlas of Southern African Birds''

African red-eyed bulbul The African red-eyed bulbul or black-fronted bulbul (''Pycnonotus nigricans'') is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-western Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland ...

Birds of Southern Africa Birds of South Africa Birds of Namibia Birds of Angola Birds of Botswana Birds of Zimbabwe Birds of Zambia Birds of Lesotho

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Pycnonotidae-stub