Grey-headed Bulbul     Pycnonotus priocephalus 

Etymology:

• Pycnonotus : Greek word puknos thick, compact; notos –backed    { thick backed}

• Priocephalus: Greek word polios grey; –kephalos- headed { Grey headed}

Vernacular Names: Mal: Prakuruvi, Hindi: Slaty sir Bulbul, Mar: Rakhi Dokyacha bulbul 

Distribution in India: Resident of South West India.

Description: Size of 17–19 cm. It is a small, active, peak-headed, olive-coloured bulbul. The anterior lores and forehead are bright greenish-yellow, rest of lores are dull greenish. The black feather bases are visible from some angles. The ocular region, ear-coverts, patch at base of lower mandible and malar streak are dull green. The crown, nape, side of neck and throat are dark ash-grey. The mantle, back and scapulars are warm dark olive-green. The loose and plush feathering of lower back and upper rump are black, broadly tipped pale ashy green appearing mottled green when flattened, barred black when raised. It has an elongated uppertail-coverts bleached grey. The flight-feathers are blackish-brown, outer webs are fringed bright olive-green covering entire outer web on tertials. Most of tail is delicate ash-grey, black outer feathers broadly tipped same colour and fringed green on outer webs. The chin is dull black, merging on to grey throat. Rest of underparts are pale olive, becoming whitish towards vent . The iris is whitish-grey contrasting with dark face; bill is strikingly greenish-yellow, palest on culmen and tip, mouth is pink with brownish patches or variable yellow and pink. The legs are pale dusky orange-yellow, claws are paler. Both the sexes are alike. The juvenile is as adult, but head is darker olive, yellow forehead duller, and underparts are colder, duller green; iris is darker and duller.

Habitat: It is found in evergreen forest in areas receiving high rainfall, edge habitats bamboo, canebrakes, and Lantana scrub in abandoned clearings. It prefers more humid areas with denser vegetation. It is found from plains to 1800 m.

Food habits: It eats berries and other fruit, and insects. It forages at all levels of forest and in tall vine-laden shrubs; can be flighty, nervous and hard to see.

Breeding habits:  They breed  in  Mar–Jul. The nest is a shallow cup, slight and flimsy, usually fastened with spider webs to branches of shrub. The nest is energetically defended by adults. They lay a clutch of 1–2 eggs. The incubation period is 13 days and fledging period is 12 days.