Yellow-vented Bulbul: A courtship behaviour

posted in: Courtship-Mating | 5

On 14th June 2008, a pair of Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) suddenly arrived in my garden and perched on the branches of a tree. The vocalisation of the pair was unfamiliar.

Usually, these bulbuls would make their familiar gurgling noises at their dawn chorus during certain periods of the year. These characteristic sounds can also be heard at other times of the day.

But the sound I heard was new to me – crack-crack-crack, to be answered by crick-crick-crick.

One of the bulbuls was quivering its wings and at the same time spreading and fluttering them. The tail feathers were somewhat spread and partially cocked. The plumage was fluffed (top left and middle).

Suddenly, one of the birds flew off, to return about a minute of so later with a long strand of fibre in its bill (top right). Nesting material?

They then left the scene, leaving me puzzled. Obviously, this was a form of courtship behaviour.

YC Wee
Singapore
July 2008

5 Responses

  1. ck

    Dear YC,
    Can you pls advise me how do you post the story and input the images into it? Pls help. I want to post my story with the desired pics, thansk very much.
    CK

  2. YC

    Sorry CK, this comment only arrived this morning, although dated July. If you want to make a post in this blog, please send story and images to wee37@starhub.net.sg and I will have it done.

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