Yellow-vented Bulbul

Description:

Main features: Small (20cm); slight crest; white face; yellow under tail coverts. Adult: Olive brown crown, nape, underparts; white side of head, eyebrow, throat, belly; lores black; breast whitish streaked brown; black bill, feet, eyes. No white on tail. Genders look alike Juvenile: Sides of head brownish; throat greyish. Call: Described as a pleasing liquid bubbling chatter; loud harsh alarm call chweit-chweit. Status in Singapore: Very common resident throughout the island and North and South offshore islands. World distribution: Southeast Asia from Myanmar to the Philippines and Java. Not found in Australia. Among the most common birds in Singapore; it is said that it is almost impossible NOT to see Yellow-Vented Bulbuls. They are found nearly everywhere except in the deep forest. Originally from the mangroves and coastal scrub, they have adapted to become one of the most common birds in cultivated areas (parks, gardens, plantations). The success of the Yellow-Vented Bulbul is probably due to their wide ranging diet of both plants and animals. They are fond of berries and small fruits, especially figs and cinnamon tree fruits. They sip nectar, nibble on young shoots, and snack on insects. They forage in bushes and trees for berries and insects, and may even catch swarming insects on the wing. Yellow-Vented Bulbuls breed widely in Singapore in February to June. Courtship involves wing and song displays. They raise and lower the crown crest as they sing. Yellow-Vented Bulbuls build well-camouflaged but flimsy, loose, deep, cup-shaped nests. They use grass, leaves, roots, vine stems, twigs. The nest may be untidy on the outside but are neatly lined with plant fibres. They nest in a wide range of places from low bushes, creepers to high trees. They are so used to humans that they may even nest in ornamental plants in residential gardens and even balconies! 2-5 eggs are laid, variable in colour from white to pinkish, with lots of reddish-brown to lavender spots. Both parents incubate and raise the young.