Yellow-vented Bulbul

Features: Olive brown crown, nape, underparts; white side of head, eyebrow, throat, belly; lores black; breast whitish streaked brown; black bill, feet, eyes.

World Distribution: Southeast Asia from Myanmar to the Philippines and Java. Not found in Australia.

Behaviour: 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.

Diet: 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.They also investigate bark for titbits. Unlike other Bulbuls, they forage on the ground, picking grass seeds and titbits, even from roads and pavements.

Mating & Breeding: Yellow-Vented Bulbuls are solitary and feed alone or in pairs, although fruiting trees may attract a flock of them. But they roost in small communities in dense bushes or trees.Yellow-Vented Bulbuls breed widely 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.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.

*sources from Naturia