The puff-throated bulbul (''Alophoixus pallidus'') is a

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

bulbul 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 As ...

family, Pycnonotidae. The species was first described by

Robert Swinhoe Robert Swinhoe FRS (1 September 1836 – 28 October 1877) was an English diplomat and naturalist who worked as a Consul in Formosa. He catalogued many Southeast Asian birds, and several, such as Swinhoe's pheasant, are named after him. Bio ...

in 1870. It is found in Southeast Asia. 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 ...

is subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The puff-throated bulbul was originally described in the genus ''

Criniger ''Criniger'' is a genus of songbirds in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. The species of ''Criniger'' are found in western and central Africa. Taxonomy The genus ''Criniger'' was introduced in 1820 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminc ...

'' until moved to the genus ''Alophoixus'' in 2009. Alternate names for the puff-throated bulbul include the olivaceous bearded-bulbul, olivaceous bulbul and white-throated bulbul. The latter name should not be confused with the species of the same name, '' Alophoixus flaveolus''.

Subspecies

Seven subspecies are recognized: * Grey-crowned bulbul (''A. p. griseiceps'') - ( Hume, 1873): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''Criniger''. Found in the Pegu Yoma Mountains (south-central Myanmar) * ''A. p. robinsoni'' - (

Ticehurst Ticehurst is both a village and a large civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The parish lies in the upper reaches of both the Bewl stream before it enters Bewl Water and in the upper reaches of the River Rother flowing ...

, 1932): Found in Tenasserim (south-eastern Myanmar) * ''A. p. henrici'' - ( Oustalet, 1896): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''Criniger''. Found in south-western China, eastern Myanmar, northern Thailand and northern Indochina * ''A. p. pallidus'' - ( R. Swinhoe, 1870): Found on

Hainan Island Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

(off south-eastern China) * ''A. p. isani'' - ( Deignan, 1956): Found in north-eastern Thailand * ''A. p. annamensis'' - ( Delacour & Jabouille, 1924): Found in central

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

* ''A. p. khmerensis'' - (Deignan, 1956): Found in southern Indochina

Description

The puff-throated bulbul is a large (23 cm long) bulbul with olive upperparts, yellow underparts, and puffy white throat feathers. It is similar in appearance to the

white-throated bulbul The white-throated bulbul (''Alophoixus flaveolus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-eastern Asia from the eastern Himalayas to Myanmar and western Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or ...

but with duller underparts. It has black feet and brown iris and bill. Males and females are visually indistinguishable.

Behaviour and ecology

The puff-throated bulbul is a regular but not an obligate

cooperative breeder Cooperative breeding is a social system characterized by alloparental care: offspring receive care not only from their parents, but also from additional group members, often called helpers. Cooperative breeding encompasses a wide variety of group s ...

. Groups can comprise one or more breeding pairs and breed either cooperatively or non-cooperatively. In cases of multiple breeding pairs in a single territory, the pairs nest separately. The female builds the nest and incubates and broods the young. Males and helpers aid in feeding the nestlings and fledglings. Nests are open cups typically located in the understorey.

References

puff-throated bulbul The puff-throated bulbul (''Alophoixus pallidus'') is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is found in Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist l ...

Birds of South China Birds of Hainan Birds of Laos Birds of Myanmar Birds of Thailand Birds of Vietnam Birds of Yunnan

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Pycnonotidae-stub