White-browed Bulbul Pycnonotus luteolus Scientific name definitions

"I purchased this bird from a dealer, who informed me it was from Madras. It is a typical Pycnonotus, with the rump feathers very downy, nearly allied to P. goiavier [Yellow-vented Bulbul], but is distinguished by the gonys being slightly curved upwards, by the yellow rictal spot,..." — Hugh Edwin Strickland (1 Strickland, H. E. (1844). Description of several new or imperfectly-defined genera and species of birds. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 13(86):409–421. Close ).

Described in 1840 by French surgeon and naturalist René Lesson, the White-browed Bulbul is endemic to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Two subspecies are recognized, nominate Pycnonotus luteolus luteolus (India) and Pycnonotus luteolus insulae (Sri Lanka). White-browed Bulbul is the most abundant bulbul in its preferred habitat, which is open and scrub forests in arid landscapes. It is sometimes solitary but mostly in pairs or small flock of 3–5 and very vocal: its call is similar to that of the sympatric Yellow-throated Bulbul, but harsher. It is behaviorally dominant and aggressive towards sympatric bulbuls.

The sexes look alike: a dingy olive, unkempt bulbul, uncrested, with a broad white supercilium, subocular crescent, black lores, pale yellow mustaches, brownish olive-green upper parts, a dirty white abdomen, and with the vent and undertail coverts pale yellow, with dark irises and black legs.

A generalist species, it feeds on berries, figs, insects, human leftovers, flowers, and nectar. Its breeding season is not well defined; breeds in response to local weather. Its nest is typical of bulbuls: an unlined cup-shaped, built with twigs and placed inside bushes 0.6–1.5 m off the ground. Clutch size is 2–3 eggs, and more than one clutch in a single breeding season is reported. Both sexes share provisioning duties.