AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

426. Pycnonotus aurigaster xanthorrhous

(426) Pycnonotus aurigaster xanthorrhous.

ANDERSON'S YELLOW-VENTED BULBUL,

Pycnonotus xanthorrhous Anderson, P. A. S. B., 1869, p. 26-5 (Kakhyen Hills); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 286, footnote.

Vernacular names. Kator-tor-prong (Kachin).

Description. Forehead, crown, lores, a ring round the eye and a narrow cheek-stripe extending to the end of the ear-coverts, black; a small spot of deep red at the base of the lower mandible near the gape; ear-coverts glossy hair-brown, the feathers with obsolete pale margins; wings and tail darker brown, the former margined with the colour of the back, the latter narrowly tipped with white; sides of the neck brown, meeting in a crescentic band across the breast; abdomen and vent whitish ; sides of body and thighs brown; under tail-coverts deep golden yellow; under side of shafts of tail-feathers white.

Colours of soft parts. Iris brown or brownish red; bill, legs and feet black.

Measurements. Total length about 200 mm.; wing about 85 to 93 mm.; tail about 95 mm.; tarsus about 23 mm.; culmen about 15 mm.

Distribution. The hills of Eastern Burma from Karenni to the Kachin (Kakhyen) Hills, Shan States, Yunnan to China.

Nidification. Col. H. H. Harington writes (Journal B. N. H. S., xix, p. 121):—" It always seems to build its nest, which is of the usual Bulbul type, within 2 or 3 feet of the ground, generally placing it in a bramble-bush amongst long grass and weeds, and almost invariably lays three eggs, only on one or two occasions 1 have taken two incubated eggs." The eggs are exactly like those of Molpastes h. bengalensis hut do not go through nearly as wide a range of variations. The average of thirty eggs is 21.7 X 16.2 mm. and the extremes are 23.5 x 16.5 mm.; 21.3 x 16.8 mm.; 21.0 X 16.0 and 21.1 x15.8 mm.

Habits. A common and familiar bird throughout its range and found from 2,000 to 6,000 feet, frequenting both lighter jungle, scrub, bamboo-jungle, etc. and the quite open country round villages. It does not apparently actually enter gardens and compounds.

Pycnonotus finlaysoni.
The species finlaysoni extends from Tenasserim to the extreme South of the Malay Peninsula, North to Karenni, Kachin Hills, Siam, Annam, Cochin China. Two races are found within the limits of this work.

Key to Subspecies.
A. Anterior half of crown of a different -colour [p. 412.
to the hinder half and nape P. finlaysoni finlaysoni,
B. The whole crown and nape of the same
colour , P. fi. davisoni, p. 413.

BookTitle: 
The Fauna Of British India, Including Ceylon And Burma-birds(second Edition)
Reference: 
Baker, EC S (1922–1930) The fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Second edition. vol.1 1922.
Title in Book: 
426. Pycnonotus aurigaster xanthorrhous
Book Author: 
Edward Charles Stuart Baker
CatNo: 
426
Year: 
1922
Page No: 
411
Common name: 
Andersons Yellow Vented Bulbul
M_ID: 
21948
M_CN: 
Brown-breasted Bulbul
M_SN: 
Pycnonotus xanthorrhous
Volume: 
Vol. 1
id: 
2902

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