Striated Bulbul  Pyconotus striatus

Etymology:

• Pycnonotus : Greek word puknos thick, compact; notos –backed { thick backed}
• Striatus: Latin word for Striated

Vernacular names: Lepcha: Senim-plek-pho, Bhutan: Chichiam, Hindi: Daridar Bulbul

Distribution in India: Resident in Himalayas and North- East of India.

Description: Size of 21–23 cm; wt. of 45–60 g. It is a large bulbul, almost entirely streaked, rather long-tailed bulbul with long, tapered crest. The cheeks and crown are greenish-brown, finely streaked white including the dusky-olive crest. The mantle, rump and uppertail-coverts are bright olive and streaked white; wings and tail are rich olive-green, tail is browner towards tip, outer rectrices have small yellowish-white tips. The lores, eyering, throat and vent are bright yellow, lower throat is lightly spotted or stippled blackish. The breast is dark grey becoming dark olive-green on belly, all broadly streaked yellowish-white. The iris is deep brown; bill is blackish or plumbeous slate; legs and claws are dark brown or plumbeous black. Both the sexes are alike. The juvenile is slightly duller above, with much shorter crest, less distinct streaking overall, and much paler yellow on throat, belly and vent.

Habitat: It is found in lower-stature broadleaf evergreen forest, semi-deciduous forest and moist oak-rhododendron forest, forest of Bucklandia and Lauraceae. It is seen at edges but never ventures far from relatively tall trees. It is found from 1200–2400 m.

Food Habits: They feed on fruits, berries and insects. It forages from bushes upwards, but most often in treetops, often hidden among dense foliage, and perching in open much less. The insects are often caught in short aerial sallies from tops of trees.

Breeding Habits:  The breeding season is mainly May- Jul. The nest is a compact cup composed of fine elastic twigs, coarse fern roots, twigs, dead stems and scraps of moss, inner lining of very fine shreds of grass, placed low in dense undergrowth, usually in thick bush or bamboo clump, close to ground and hidden by twigs and creepers , nest placed much higher up in tree. They lay a clutch of n 2-3 eggs.